The Bay of plenty Beacon Published Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13th, 1939. FOSTERING AVIATION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 74, 13 October 1939, Page 4

The Bay of plenty Beacon Published Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13th, 1939. FOSTERING AVIATION

PUBLIC minded citizens will afford the warmest endorsement to the efforts which are being made by the Whakatane Borough Council to establish an aerodrome in the vicinity of the town. In spite of the general tendency to dismiss all progressive movements as more or less impossible of realisation owing to the war, the council ha.s adopted the correct attitude and has not forgotten the several needs of the town under its administration. Aviation is now accepted as one of the necessary fundamentals of progress in the future and if it is neglected by any town or centre, at this, the most vital stage of the Dominions Air development, it is clearly patent that those districts will be left out as unable to keep pace with others which have been abreast of the times The present war will further advance aviation and if the development which follows is anything like the fillip which followed the last conflict, aviation cannot help becoming the most vital method of .transport throughout the world. The Paroa site has apparently met with the approval of the P.W.D., and as a situation, within easy access to the town, could scarcely be bettered. On numerous occasions the Minister of Public Works, Mr. R. Semple has declared that he will not authorise the construction of any more "Pocket handkerchief" aerodromes. All future areas must be large enough to cater for the commodious passenger, light goods and mail planes, which will inevitaby become part and parcel of this country's commercial life in a few years time. At Paroa there is fortunately sufficient ground to lay out such an aerodrome and should there be any possible chance of obtaining the departments sanction to proceed the fullest co-operation must be forthcoming from town and district, in order to bring the scheme to a definite and sucessful conclusion.