FOR AIRCRAFT

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 102, 27 October 1933, Page 8

FOR AIRCRAFT

THE NEW SCHEME

• LANDING GROUNDS

£5000 TO BE VOTED

As an additional, link in the development of aircraft operations, •the Government lias decided'to ask Parliament to make available in the ' Public Works •- Estimates for. the current -financial..year the sum of £5000 to bring into effect a.scheme suggested by the New Zealand Aero Club to provide a series of emergency landing.grounds for aircraft in both islands of the Dominion. The announcement was made today by the Minister of Defence (the Hon. J. G. Cobbe). The Minister stated that the decision of the Government to cstab- . lish the emergency landing grounds for aircraft was in line with the progress of aviation in New Zealand. Relief labour, he said, would be. used in preparing the landing grounds selected. , . ' ,s» Three months ago representatives of the New Zealand Aero Club, with Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., interviewed the Minister of Defence and discussed with the Minister and tho General Officer Commanding the Defence Forces (Major-General Sinclair-Burgess), the Director of Air Services (SquadronLeader Wilkes), and the Under-Secre-tary of Defence (Mr. H. Turner), a scheme the club had outlined to assist in providing the Dominion with a series of M-ell-choscn. emergency landing grounds for aircraft. The scheme put forward by the deputation (details of which were published a short time ago) was favourably commented upon by the Minister and tho officers of the Defence Department. The scheme was advocated as a national work and, it was stated, would have been undertaken by the New Zealand Aero Club itself had the club had the. money to see it through. Since the plan of operation of the scheme was formed the. Government has been giving a close consideration to it and has resolved to bring the scheme into practical effect. EARLY START TO BE MADE. "Cabinet's recent approval of the scheme for a chain of emergency landing grounds for aircraft throughout the J Dominion," said Mr. Cobbe, "will enable an early commencement to bo. made with the work. The sum of £5000 to be made available will be for the current financial year. : The services of a Public Works Department engineer have already been ■ placed at the disposal of the Defence Department. A number of sites for the landing grounds have been inspected. The question of tho form of agreement to be entered j into with the owners of the land to be j used to preserve the rights of the, Crown is at present well under consideration. Once this important' aspect of•the scheme is settled a start will bo made I with the work of levelling and form-, ing : the various sites decided upon. I Belief labour will be made use of for this.purpose. I am sending a communi-1 cation today outlining, these matters to Mr. G. M. Spencc, president of the New Zealand Aero Club, Blenheim. With tho co-operation of the Aero Club in these proposals has como intimation from several landowners of-their readi-ness-to place some of their land,at the of the authorities. I can presage success for the scheme, which should do much to help forward aviation." ■ , ■ ... ..