TOO FAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 64, 13 April 1943, Page 5

TOO FAR

PROPOSED AERODROME SITE

TE TEIvO AREA UNPOPULAR

The first Borough reaction to the County Council's proposed 1 site at Te Teko was in strong evidence at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce last Thursday evening when almost without exception, members expressed l the view that the site was too far from the Borough to command any real 1 interest from the ratepayers. Mr S. Whiitwortli gave a brief resume of information which he. had received from an experienced air>man who recently visited the town -and who had suggested the waste land area between Awakeri and 'Whakatane West. Mr R. Canning said that popular •opinion in the town condemned Te Teko as too far. There were other possible sites much nearer the town. He suggested Ohiwa, where at a certain point mile runways could be built and the water of the harbour used as ,a seaplane base as •well. He. mentioned further the •sandhills north of the town, or.j which a landing ground suitable, for medium sized craft, could be constructed. f Mr Whitworth discussed t"hc possibilities of the autogiro becoming u popular means of transport of tlie 'tuture. "We want this ground as near as possible to the town," said Mr ( •Crec.kc. Otherwise he could not see the ratepayers supporting any loan which might be contemplated to aid : its construction. There was no saying as to what course aviation might take in the future, he argued. With .so many suitable harbours and inland stretches of water the whole policy might be to travel by seaplane, and thus save the enormous expense involved in building landing fields with mile long concrete runways. He cautioned against the •adoption of any expensive scheme 'until the Government had defined its post-war policy with reference «to air travel. Mr T. Cummings urged that "Shaw's site, above the golf links be investigated. The meeting finally resolved to imstruct its delegates to the next meeting of. the. joint local bodies; to urge that the Te Teko site be* shelved until such time as the possibilities "of all other sites closer to ilie town had been exhausted.