AIR TRUNK SERVICE

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1935, Page 7

AIR TRUNK SERVICE

PACIFIC AIRWAYS PLANES

ORGANISATION OUTLINED

POSITION OF. HEAD OFFICE

NEW PLYMOUTH POSSIBLE

By Telegraph—Press Association Auckland, Last Night

The plans of Great Pacific Airways (N.Z.) Ltd., which has been granted a license by the Transport Co-ordination Board to operate a trunk air service from Auckland to New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington, Blenheim, Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin, were outlined to-night by Mr. Trevor S. Withers, organiser of the company. He said it was the aim of the company to inaugurate a two-way daily service over the route- as soon as possible.

The whole of the company’s proposed capital had been underwritten in Australia, Mr. Withers said. The Act under which the license was-granted required that the finances of any applicant must be definitely assured, and this made it necessary to arrange for the underwriting of the capital issue. “The Co-ordination Board has said that it requires evidence- that the company will be controlled from New Zealand,” he said. “The board has been advised that the majority of directors will be • residents of New Zealand and that the head office of the company would probably be at Auckland or New Plymouth.” Mr. Withers added that a provisional directorate consisted of four Auckland business men and two Australians. They were Mr. E. T. Fisk, chairman and man-aging-director of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd. and chairman of Pacific Airways Ltd., Sydney, and Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, both of Sydney, and Messrs. G. W. Hutchison, public accountant, E.‘ H. Davis, merchant, J. Marsden Caughey, merchant, and E. H. Rhodes, civil engineer, all of Auckland. Sir Charles would act as technical adviser to the company and would personally supervise the inauguration of the services. The company proposed to commence operations with a fleet of machines cruising at not less than 150. miles ■ an hour. A tentative time-table, in whicn generous allowance had been made, for delays owing to head winds,- provided for a machine to leave each terminus at 8 a.m. daily, except on Sundays, and to arrive at the other terminus at 4 p.m. One of the principal factors in determining when it would be possible to commence operations was the state of the airports to be visited The company Was not yet committed to any particular make of aircraft, but it would employ the most efficient British machines of a suitable type available when it was ready to place orders. “It is hoped Great Pacific Airways will be authorised by the Government |to carry mails over the whole of its air routes and thus complete the functions of what will be essentially a national service,” Mr. Withers concluded.