CLIPPER ARRIVES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21735, 17 August 1940, Page 6

CLIPPER ARRIVES

Aerial Circuit Of Pacific Journalists Pioneer The Trip By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND. August 16. The pioneer voyagers on the aerial circuit of the Pacific journey, now made possible by a new air link between Honolulu and Sydney, a party of 11 journalists representative of the whole of the American Press, arrived at Auckland by Pan-American Airways California Clipper for a brief stay before flying on to Australia on Sunday and thence through the Far East and home again by the Central Pacific route. The visit of so large a newspaper delegation to New Zealand has not been parallelled since the party of British and Canadian Press leaders, headed by the late Lord Burnham, spent about a week in the Dominion on their way to the Empire Press Union conference in Australia more than 15 years ago. The visitors were met by Auckland journalists at a reception given by the Mayor (Sir Ernest Davis) and this was followed by a State dinner at which the Minister of Finance (Hon. W. Nash) represented the Government. BOND OF BROTHERHOOD VISITORS AMAZED AT WAR EFFORT At the Town Hall short speeches were made by the Mayor, Sir Henry Horton, Sir Cecil Leys and Mr Nash The welcome was acknowledged by Mr Roy Howard, doyen of the American party and executive head of the wellknown Scripps Howard newspaper chain. The Americans are a group drawn from the great news agencies, the Associated Press of the United States. International News Service, Newspaper Enterprise Association, the North American Newspaper Alliance and from several internationally-known newspapers, including the “New York Times,” the “Herald-Tribune” and the “World Telegram,” “San Francisco Chronicle,” and “Los Angeles Times.” Two of them, Mr Harold Callender and Mr Ansel Talbert, as war correspondents, have seen much of the recent fighting in Europe and a number of others have travelled in all parts of the world. Yet, with the exception ol three who own Australia as their birthplace, none of them has ever been in New Zealand before. In the course of many conversations with Auckland journalists the visitors showed themselves most eager to gather information about the Dominion, much more so, indeed, than to talk of American affairs. Their greatest interest, it soon appeared, was in New Zealand’s war effort, and when the approximate recruiting figures were given them one and all expressed the greatest astonishment that a small country should be doing so much. Publicity For Dominion When told that New Zealand had undertaken to provide 4000 Air Force personnel of all kinds yearly, they were more amazed than ever. All the Press Agency representatives are sending home messages at frequent intervals, and it is certain that their visit will bring New Zealand under the notice of millions of American readers as never before. The journalists, in addition to sending day to day news of their trip, are also gathering material for feature articles which will be despatched as opportunity offers. At to-day’s gathering the bond oi international brotherhood and common idea was most evident in the ready friendliness that made itself felt from the outset and the common ground that Americans and New Zealanders found at once in their conversations. It seemed almost superfluous for the visitors to say, as they did. that intelligent public opinion in their country was whole-heartedly with the British Empire in its life and death struggle. Perhaps even more heartening to those who listened was the absolute confidence ‘hat the Americans showed in the ability of Britain to fight and win. One of them remarked, too, that America was Britain s ally in all but one thing; she was not sending an expeditionary force to Europe FAST CROSSING AOTEAROA REACHES AUCKLAND By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, August 16. In bitterly cold but otherwise favourable weather, the Tasman Empire Airways flving-boat Aotearoa made a rapid crossing from Sydney to-day, her time being 7 hours 2 minutes from point to point. Her average speed was 169 miles an hour. She brought 11