New Air Service.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20649, 25 June 1935, Page 8

New Air Service.

Making History.

Australia’s Latest Enterprise.

<Speclal Lo the " Star.”) ' SYDNEY, June 19. REMARKABLE INSTANCE of foresight and initiative has just been provided by the Federal Postmaster-General, who has submitted to the Commonwealth Government a scheme for linking up the various State capitals by a two-way daily air mail service. This would apply to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart, with a service between Adelaide and Perth running two or three times a week. The most obvious comment on this scheme is that it would make a great difv ference to the various State railways which would lose the subsidies that they now receive for the transport of mails. Presumably the authorities have considered this as well as other heavy expenses that the plan would involve. For Senator McLachlan, who is in charge of’ the department, has already discussed in public the necessary facilities —more aerodromes, emergency landing places, fuelling stations, light and radio beacons, and “an inter-communica-tion scheme for contact between all planes in the air.” Imposing Project. II is certainly an imposing project, but the Postmaster-General thinks that the rapid speeding up of means of communication would amply justify the outlay. He points out that letters posted late in the afternoon in Brisbane would be delivered early the following morning at Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, and in Hobart by mid-day, while the despatch of mails from Brisbane to Perth could be completed within two days as against the seven days now required. Of course the country districts would share equally with the towns in the benefits to be derived from- such a system, which would manifestly have the effect of enhancing immensely the value of the air .services between England, Australia and New’ Zealand. Enthusiastically Received. Of course these proposals have been received with great enthusiasm by everybody here interested in aviation and more especially by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. “ Smithy ” told a representative of the “ Sun ”* that there is probably no one in Australia who read with greater interest and satisfaction the proposals of the Post-master-General. For he has always held that Australia, this continent of vast distances, needs more than any other country to connect its centres together by aerial services, and he suggested that “ one of his main reasons for remaining in the unprofitable field of aviation has been the hope that he would live to see and participate in the linking up of the Australian capitals by air.” It should be observed that, according to Senator McLachlan’s proposals, air mail letters will be carried at ordinary postage rates; a project which, if carried into effect, will enable Australia, in “ Smithy's ” words, “ once again to make aviation history,” and give a lead for all other countries to follow. “ Smith}' ” has intimated that no development inside Australia will be allowed to divert his attention from the trans-Tasman air service which he is resolutely determined to organise. But he hails the new Federal scheme as the realisation of dreams that he, with all other aviators, conceived at the close of the Great War, and he evidently believes that, in spite of all practical and financial obstacles, the daily air-mail service between Australia’s capitals will soon be an accomplished fact.