MINISTER APPROACHED

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1935, Page 9

MINISTER APPROACHED

NATIONAL AIR SERVICE AUCKLAND-INVERCARGILL NEEDED USELESSNESS OF “FEEDER” LINES. ASSURANCE BY MR. J. G. COATES. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, March 21. The contention that any air service which was truly national must link Auckland and Invercargill was made by a deputation which waited on the Minister of Transport, Mr. Coates, to-night, following the sitting of the Transport Co-ordination Board. The deputation, which included members of Parliament from Auckland, Taranaki and Southland, urged that all the main centres in the Dominion should be covered by any service allowed to operate on a national The principal speaker was Mr. R. H. Quilliam, New Plymouth, who assured the Minister that the deputation was not connected with any of the companies applying for licenses to operate air services, and that it had a national and disinterested viewpoint. He emphasised that a small service had no chance of succeeding and that no service could hope to succeed unless run on the largest possible scale. The size of New Zealand was such as to make the AucklandInvercargill service quite practicable. Mr. Quilliam said it had been suggested that “feeder” services should be run from Auckland to Palmerston North, and New Plymouth to Palmerston North. Such services were impossible. It was necessary to have the best or nothing at all. If J the Palmerston North-Dunedin service was allowed to operate, it would touch at only one aerodrome in the North Island. For tourists’ purposes,. any service that did not include Auckland and Invercargill would be absurd, as it would mean that persons arriving on ships from overseas would have to travel by train to Palmerston North if they wished to make a journey through New Zealand by air. . , There was now a world-wide demand for carriage of mails by?air, and if mails were to be brought to New Zealand by air and then transferred by train the position would be ridiculous. In reply the Minister said he agreed that a start should be made in the best way economically possible. It was difficult to see that any service that eliminated Auckland and Invercargill could be satisfactory. The question naturally arose as to landing grounds, aerodromes, and the equipment necessary to maintain an adequate margin of safety. A member of the deputation interjected that the sitting of the Co-ordination Board had been adjourned to see if two rival companies could come to an agreement, and Mr. Coates expressed the hope that that would provide a satisfactory solution to the problem.