THE AIRSHIPS

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14775, 14 October 1921, Page 2

THE AIRSHIPS

MR MASSEY EXPECTS MENTSBUT MUCH EXPERIMENT NECESSARY. “1 watched the progress of aviation will) a great deal of interest while I was in Britain,” said the Prime Minister at. the civic reception in Wellington. “I did not expect a great deal from aeroplanes towards the solution of the problems of inter-imperial communication, because these machines are for Hie shorter distances. The (light of the aeroplane is limited by the amount of petrol that can be carried, and the number of passengers that can be carried is very small. I did tiopc that the airship was going to do a great deal, although I was not particularly sanguine about the extension of sendees during the next year or two. ‘‘Yon know of the terrible accident that happened in England about six weeks ago, when Hie biggest airship ever built crashed and carried to death some lO men. Thai disaster is going to put aviation back for some years. I am quite, certain of that. It means fi.rlher experiments, and very costly experiments at that- The difficulties will t>e overcome, hnl it will be years before it will be possible for airships to conic down to Australia and New Zealand. In the meantime we must make the best of the facilities that we have available to-day.

“I look for very important developments in the cable and wireless services. The recent conference in London arranged for a chain of wireless stations right round Hie Empire, commencing in England. The first of the big stations has been erected. The next will he at Cairo, and the others will be in India, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Then there may be other stations in Hie Pacific lo connect with Canada. 1 believe, that this system of wireless is going to do a great deal for us. Wo have reached a stage where the ordinary cables arc unable to do everything that we require of them.”

The Prime Minister mentioned that afler leaving Honolulu on his way hack to New Zealand, lie had talked lo persons ashore by wireless telephony when the ship was over thirty miles from Ihe port. He had listened to music transmitted by wireless. Extraordinary developments were taking place in wireless telegraphs and telephones, and he thought the time was not far away when persons in Wellington would be able to talk to London.