GATHERING THE NEWS

Taranaki Daily News, 6 February 1931, Page 5

GATHERING THE NEWS

TARANAKI’S SPECIAL SERVICE

PLANE FROM NEW PLYMOUTH.

THE DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED.

In news-getting, as in everything else, modern times demand modern methods, and it will perhaps be of interest to the people of Taranaki to say something of the part played by the Taranaki Daily News in giving its readers the unique service they received yesterday and to-day. For yesterday morning the Taranaki Daily News was the only newspaper in New Zealand to give its readers a comprehensive report of the position in Napier and Gisborne written by one of its own representatives from head office.

On receipt of the first tidings by wireless from the affected area and confirmation of the fact that h. serious catastrophe had occurred the Daily News immediately chartered an aeroplane from the Western' Federated Flying Club, and within half an hour a representative was en route southwards piloted by Flying-Officer lan Keith. A short landing was made at Feilding for a cup of tea, and from there a non-stop flight was made to Hastings. Conditions could not have been much worse for flying than they were in Hawke’s Bay. Soon -.fter crossing the ranges near the Manawatu Gorge at a height of 2700 feet peculiar choppy aircurrents were experienced that made the going very bumpy. Caused, perhaps by the tremendous heat of the fires at Hastings and Napier, air currents were travelling over the Takapau Plains in the strangest fashion. At one stage the machine lost 1000 feet of altitude in spite of a full-open throttle and every effort on. the part of the pilot to keep it up. Soon afterwards the machine was just as difficult to keep down. Hastings was eventually made in 2J hours flying time from New Plymouth. After landing at the Hastings aerodrome the pilot and his passenger accepted a friendly lift to town and for the next half hour a diligent search for “correct” news from the proper source by the accepted, routine practice was carried out. The pair then repaired by ■motor-bus to Napier, where it was found that the Daily News was first in the field of the outside newspapers. The unfortunate local pressmen had plenty of local colour but no papers to put it in. COMMUNICATIONS CUT OFF. The essential of all sound news-get-, ting, apart from accuracy, is early publication. Practically all communication with the outside world was cut off. Efforts .to send even the briefest message by wireless on Tuesday night, through the private station operating from Vigor-Brown Street, or H.M.S. Veronica were not successful, owing to congestion, so the co-opera-tion. of a friendly telegraph official was enlisted. A brief message marked “Urgent!” was sent by car to Dannevirke, thence by wire to New Plymouth. It reached New Plymouth too late for Wednesday morning’s paper, but was published in the streets as an “extra.”

The whole of Tuesday night was spent by the News representative in interviewing scores of people, inspecting the burning town and writing an account. All Wednesday morning was occupied in a complete tour of Napier by foot, an inspection of every portion of the town where serious damage had. occurred, and interviews with numerous people. A friendly motor car was £he means of conveyance back to Hastings and several hours, were spent in the gleaning of further information in Hastings where fire had again broken out. GALE CAUSES DELAY. All day on Wednesday a southerly gale had been raging and growing in intensity. It had been intended to leave for New Plymouth between 3 and 4 p.m., in which ease the Daily News would have been able to publish yesterday morning, in addition to the one article that did appear, the greater part of what appears on this page this morning. Imagine the disappointment of the journalist when the pilot said conditions were out of the question for flying, and the return trip would have to be postponed until the following morning. Still they both waited for the weather to moderate, but in vain, and with the approach of evening came the desperate task of getting at any rate some of the news to New Plymouth. It would have been impossible to telegraph such a large story as had been written. The services of a motorist were secured. The large story was hurriedly condensed to a form suitable ■for telegraphing and the motorist hurried away with the intention of . seeding it from Palmerston North, owing to the fact that all the intermediary telegraph offices were either out of commission or congested. Palmerston North was also unable to handle the message and it was finally handed in at Feildiug. That is liow the News received the 2500 word telegram that it published yesterday. •Meanwhile the journalist had endeavoured to snatch a little sleep. Nc beds nor substantial meals of any kind were available in either Napier or. Hastings on Wednesday. The top of a small haystack near Hastings was chosen as a bed, but owing to the gale, occasional heavy rain squalls, and continual earthquakes that rocked the haystack ominously every few minutes, sleep was practically out of the question. By daylight yesterday both pilot and journalist were ready to start, but the machine was not, and it was only four hours later that after strenuous .coaxing its engine consented to turn over. Once started, however, no time was lost. A southerly gale again made the passage a stormy one, but in practically '24 hours flying time the machine landed at the Bell Block aerodrome.

On returning to the Hastings aerodrome on Wednesday evening the pilot found instructions that he was to return to New Plymouth for a, doctor, conditions, however, it was knowjiSthcn Apart from the factor of the weather, that there was a surfeit of doctors. upPO Rg