PLANE FOR FEDERATION

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1930, Page 11

PLANE FOR FEDERATION

CONTROVERSY ON PURCHASE ‘ FIRST EXECUTIVE MEETING. NEW PLYMOUTH RETRACTS OFFER Protracted argument in connection 1 •with the Taranaki Airways’ Moth plane by-the Western Federated Flying Club resulted in a deadlock when the question was considered at the first formal meeting of the executive of the federation at Hawera last There were present Dr. W. F. Buist (chairman), Messrs. W. G. Walkley and B. Haybittie (Hawera), Andrews, D. Cullinane and E. ' Short (Feilding), C. Brown and Frank- >. lin (Wanganui), G. M. Spence, C. Hannan, S. E. Nialson (secretary), New Plymouth.,- The meeting appointed Mr. A. '• S. Burgess (Wanganui) president, and " Mr. Nielson secretary of the federation. After deciding to appoint a ground . engineer to the federation, and to . communicate with applicants recommended by the department, the meeting discuss- ■ ed a motion that' the federation purchase Taranaki Airways plane for £835, that amount being £5O less than the cost price. Objections were raised by the Feilding delegates, ‘who .felt that the machine should, first be valued. The New Plymouth and Wanganui representatives stressed the fact that an arrangement had previously been entered into for .the purchase of. the plane, but .the 'were'adamant. . - Eventually Mr. Walkley moved as an amendment that'the plane be purchased by‘the-federation for £835 with the £6l profit piade. ,and the Government subsidy of £2OO go to the federation, provided that the contract be entered into only after the plane was valued, and if the valuation was within .£4O of £574. The■.offer .of Taranaki Airways was then withdrawn because Feilding was not satisfied with the terms of the original agreement, and the New Plymouth delegates-did .not'Jwant them to feel that,they were .-forqed : jnto the position of accepting a bargain, with which they were not ih" accord.- Subsequently the offer was reconsidered. The amendment;,was defeated and .the motion was also lost, the New Plymouth delegates voting against it. -He thought, that before,he committed the: ‘members oL.his \club it was his duty to have the ’plpne valued) said Mr. -E. Short (Feilding).. .Jt should be; taken ovey by the federation at its worth today' He had heard that the Government rated the depreciation as approxi- . ? mately £1 an hour flying time, and he had no desire to commit his club to the’ of a plane about which it knew nothing. Tjie secretary /stated that from June 1 tbi date the total earnings' of the plane were £212 and the expenditure £l5l. “PREVIOUS AGREEMENT.” Mr. C.,Brown (Wanganui) stated that thd: position' as he understood it' was that an arrangement had been entered into; some months, ago whereby the fed-, eration should piftchase the plane. - Wing-Commander Grant Dalton had been under the same impression as Mr. Short, said Mr. G. M. Spence, but when the position was explained he had altered his views. He described the formation of Taranaki Airways, Ltd. and the purchase of the plane by that body. The New Plymouth Aero' Club had been given pre-emptive TAgL.t Pp : . the.jijse, ;of theg] plane,’ and ’if'had ' been giyen ,the right to purchase thb : machine "at' any time at cost price. Taranaki Airways, Ltd/ was!.formed . merely to ; supply a club! which, had pot the finance to purchaise a machin.e for itself. As a matter of fact, the shareholders'' stood to lose 4s. ih. the £1 if the federation purchased thefmachinei • . • :

Mr. Spence could assure those present that the'plane was in a'first-class condition. Hid’there Seen’any question of the agreement; not being gone on with there would have been no federation, as the .. members of' fils" club would have purchased the plane ' Dr. Buist: We must remember that a tacit agreement was made whereby all the’ learnings from June 1 should be credited to the federation.

The -secretary: New Plymouth has eight pupils almost ready for examination, and if the agreement is gone on with; the federation will receive £25 per pupil subsidy from the Government. “It appears to me that to clear the atmosphere 'we; must' be more frank,” said;Mr. W. G. Walkley, Hawera. He considered the arrangement to take over the. plane .was very proper, for New Plymouth pioneered the purchase of the plane,-but there were matters that needed tjet be aired. He intended to place all his cards on the table, and although thqt might be distasteful, he felt he’ should do it.

Ai the outset Hawcra club members Were somewhat annoyed, 'and considorablel feeling still existed, at the action of Niw Plymouth and Wanganui’ in refusing to admit 'the Hawera club for the 'purposes of holding an art union, after the Hawera club had already made application to the Government. The club: felt it had been passed over, and would like New Plymouth and Wanganui ipo place themselves in a similar position. The Minister of Internal Affajis had suggested to Hawcra that it siinild join with New Plymouth and Wanganui in running an art union. HAWERA’S POSITION. Another grievance was, continued Mr. Walkley, tfiat at the last meeting of members the Hawera. Club was informed that as the plane was coming up from’ Wellington and as the Hawera Club had built a hanger costing £7OO and/iwas paying £$ a .week ground rent-jit should be paid visits by the plane! for tuition. The plane had been at Hawera for half an hour and the club; had not seen it since. There were a large number of members waiting for training and he had written to New Plymouth eight weeks ago for the plane, receiving advice that it would be at Hawera in 4ibout two weeks from that date.

“Yoh can understand that these matters /have caused a good deal of dissatisfaction in the club,” continued Mf. V/aikley,‘‘and I think the time has arrived; when these differences should bo /se'ttled. In a report published in ihei Press, and I feel the Press made a rhistake, it was stated that the Defence Department plane was granted to New. Plymouth. We are too close to* getfer to have that sort of thing going on. -i We arc most anxious to get the federation going, but unless we stand in equally we are not prepared to "j: any . further.” Until the federation' was legally in existence the plane could not be sent

to any club, said the' secretary, and it was generally understood that the question of its allocation was to be investigated at that night’s meeting. In connection with the art union, Mr. Spence explained that - New- Plymouth had been-; invited. ' to. joinWanganui, which had already taken preliminary steps. It,.did .not, seem reasonable to the club ,that Hawera should subsequently' come ih and take a third 'of the profits when Wanganui and’ New 1 Plymouth ha., already found the money to purchase the gold for the prize money and entered into heavy financial obligations to carry the art union through. Hawera had never approached cither the Now Plymouth pip Wanganui clubs, and it was now obviously too late to alty#. any existing, arrangements. Although the Hawera Club felt it had some reason to complain about not receiving visits from the plane, it must remember that the federation had only recently ’ been legally- constituted. The plane had beerj' used/ in New Plymouth for training purposes, and the profits, £6l, were credited: to/ the federation. The eight New Plymouth trainees needed only, a few hours more training for the federation to secure a .subsidy- of £2OO from the Government, and he felt it would be'in the interests of the federation if the plaine remained in New Plymouth until the trainees qualified. Mr. Walkley: On June'9 we were fold the plane would be available for us: in a-‘ fortnight. We are nearly ifito September and have not yet seen it. Cdn you wonder, that our members pre dissatisfied? ’ .' 7. ■: When the .promise was made it was considered only a matter of days before the federation would be incorporated, said -'.the secretary. ..■ 1 ; . ■'. -BX-ZAIKWAYS. ■; ' :■' •' }/ ' .; •/ ( < i Mr. Spence:' If'yoil; are; dissatisfied with the purchase price Taranaki Airways will' agree to write , off £1 an hour depreciation and to ta/ke over the profit earned, which would be £251, the federation to take the.njachine oyer from the present date. The plane had flown 170 hours and'-its cost'was £§Bs. It would be an. excellent, bargain for us. Mr. D. Cullinane (Feilding): We are discussing the purchase of a plane and I feel it" should be approached as : a business proposition. The plane had cost . £BB5, said Mr. Walkley, and the quotation to the federation was £835 The profits in hand amounted to approximately £6l and there was a £2OO subsidy in sight, making a credit of £261, so that the aetua]°cost to the federation would be £574. He then moved his amendment, submitting that it was a business proposition. “It. is merely the motion in:.a different manner,” said Mr. Franklin. ; ; The New Plymouth delegate then retired and on returning stated that Taranaki Airways, Ltd., would withdraw. their offer as unanimity could not be reached. - The Feilding delegates then retired together, with Mr. Walkley, : and bn ■ their return' stated they still desired that the plane should be valued before purchase. ' ’ “On that condition the company’s offer is withdrawn,” said Mr. Spence. The amendment was lost on the chairman’s casting vote. The motion to purchase the plane on the original terms was also defeated the New Plymouth delegates voting against it. A ’ sub-committee consisting of, Messrs. Spence, Burgess, Walkley and Short was appointed to confer, with WingCommander Grant Dalton on the purchase of a suitable machine. The same eub-committce is also to consider tile appointment of a pilot to the federation. Mr. Walkley asked the chairman if the sub-committee would still be able to negotiate with Taranaki Airways. ■ “Certainly,” replied Dr. Buist.