TRANS-TASMAN SERVICES.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1933, Page 4

TRANS-TASMAN SERVICES.

New Plymouth is in the limelight at present as the potential terminal of transTasman transport services by sea and by air. The announcement that Mr. Ulm, after toying with various other airports, has definitely decided upon New Plymouth as the landing ground after his projected flight from Sydney confirms the opinion expressed by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith that New Plymouth is the natural and most suitable New Zealand terminal for such flights. There are distinct disadvantages against Wellington, for instance, because of the high winds continuously swirling about the hills surrounding the capital city, and the unsuitability of the Rongatai aerodrome for large machines, Blenheim suffers from the disadvantage that ’planes from Australia must a detour round the north part of the South Island before reaching the aerodrome, and Auckland, even with a first-class civil aerodrome to which Mangere does not as yet lay claim, is situated on a narrow neck of land which in cloudy weather an aeroplane from the west might easily pass over without recognising that land had been reached. From all points of view—distance from Australia, geographical position and efficiency of aerodrome—New Plymouth has advantages that are likely to make it in time to come easily the most important civil and. strategic airport in New Zealand. For the progress that has already been made the officials of the Aero Club are deserving of warm commendation, and it is to be hoped that Mr. Ulm will receive a hearty welcome from the public, if only as a recognition of what the Aero Club has done in keeping Taranaki in the forefront of civil aviation. The possibilities of New Plymouth . as the terminal of the Tasman steamer services are brought into prominence this week by the visit of the Akaroa to the port, tire letter by Mr. John Fuller, of Wellington, in the Daily News yesterday, and the comments made by Mr. J. R. Cruickshank in this morning’s issue. It cannot be pretended that New Plymouth at the present time has any considerable advantage over say Wellington only, for the lessening of the distance by approximately 90 miles would be more than offset by the much greater cargo trade to Wellington and the South Island, and the greater number of passengers to and from Wellington and southern destinations. From the point of view of population and incidental commercial attractiveness the same argument applies to Auckland, though the much greater distance to Auckland certainly militates against it. There is also the question of the harbour facilities at New Plymouth, as compared with the existing facilities at Auckland and Wellington. New Plymouth has one great advantage, however, in that it could serve both Auckland and Wellington with mails and passenger transport at much the same time as only one of them can be served under the present arrangement. In viev> of the factors already mentioned it is likely to be some time before a change to Mew Plymouth as the terminal port will be seriously considered, but the proposal is by ho means a commercially fantastic one. In the meantime the alternative scheme suggested by Mr. Cruickshank might well be given careful consideration with the object of bringing it into effect in a few years’ time. From a national point of view there is much to be said in its favour. From a provincial point of view its value to Taranaki would be beyond question.