TO NEW ZEALAND BY AIR.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18416, 24 June 1925, Page 10

TO NEW ZEALAND BY AIR.

PROSPECTS OF A FINANCIAL SUCCESS. *(jraoM: cue cosssspondext.) LONDON, May 20. The commercial uses of airship? were discussed by Commander C. D. Burney, in a paper read to the London Congress of the Institute of Transport. He pointed out that if they were accepted by the public as the safest, as well as the quickest, means of travelling there was little doubt'that ample traffic would bo forthcoming. Ho did not think, it wag fair to assume that more than 15 to 20 per cent, of the available traffic would b© attracted for some years. The London India-Aus-tralia route appeared to hold out the. prospects of financial success, but probably the best route tn the world, so far as passengers were concerned, would be the Chicago-1.0.-don line, since Chicago was almost the geographical centre as well as the railway centre of America, and Americans not only travelled more than most nationals, but were more ready to avail themselves of new methods of transportation.

Respecting the route, which was the one most likely to he established within a reasonable period, we found that a yearly number of passengers of 3900 each way would be required to till our vessels to 50 per cent, of their capacity, . Upon that basis the fallowing charges had been adopted for the purposes of estimating'upon the route:— England to Bagdad, £SO, first-class; Colombo, £100; Perth (Australia), £140; and Wellington (New Zealand), £l7O. A surcharge of J'! p>T letter ■was contemplated, and it was cstiinated that a total reveaae of £1,775,000 would be obtained upon • the route, equivalent to a gross profit of £89,000. The time, of transport had been estimated as follows:—England to B.agdad, 37 hours; Bagdad to Coloml>o, 41 hours; Colombo to Perth, 51 hours; Perth to Wellington, 38 hours. Sir Softon Brancker thought, present generation wns against travel by air, generally speaking.