NEW AIR LINKS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 129, 2 June 1937, Page 4

NEW AIR LINKS

PACIFIC AND TASMAN

START IN NEAR FUTURE

AMERICAN'S VIEWS

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, May 31.

No doubt that New Zealand and Australia will soon be linked by air services with the United States and Canada is entertained by Mr. W. T. Miller, Superintendent of Airways ofthe United States Bureau of Commerce, who was a through passenger for San Francisco tjy the Mariposa after making an investigation into the possibilities of regular commercial and mail air services acfoss the Pacific.

As the result of his investigations in New Zealand and., Australia he said he was convinced that it would not be long before the recent 'survey flight across the by the Pan-American Airways Clipper was succeeded by "time-table" crossings. ■

Suggestions have been made that New Zealand might possibly be left out of the route of the regular mail and passenger air service, but Mr. Miller said he considered New Zealand was a most important link. Canada would also have to be included. ' To his mind, the United States and Canada not only thought as one country, but were also working as one country, and such an air service, as he envisaged would be from "Australasia .to North America."

"One of the main objects of my visit," said Mr. Miller, "was to ascertain as far as possible . how much business would be offering for such a service across the Pacific, and 1 have come to the conclusion that it is only • going to be a very short period of time before New Zealand, Australia, and America are going to be linked up withVa fast passenger, and mail service by air. Whether, it -will be sponsored from America or the Antipodes is not for me, to say, but justification for such a service is there. My view,is'that the Government, of the countries concerned" will have to get together and come to some suitable arrangement. Every detail will have tq be worked out before any service can be established." ~ ■ - '\ It might easily be, .he said, that there would be sufficient encouragement for more than one company to tun a service, but nothing positive had yet been arrived at, ~and the whole thing was a matter for the respective Governments.' If.it was decided to assist" an air' Service,' ho dbubt a reciprocal agreement"would have to.be drawn up. Under the United' States regulations, mail was' carried under contract, and for this reason' he could not say whether the Pan-American Airways Company would be responsible for the service if it was organised. Tenders for the mail contract,would have to be called, and the successful tenderer would have the right to a mail mono-

poly byi-a'ir.'1.;-.-';-'.: .-'■■' V ;/;--':..-.'•."■'■■ . It was to foe remembered," however, that- Pan-American" Airways •.was the only large international operator in the I United States; . Its' officers had done a very good job in; bringing the Clip-: per ship.down to Auckland on the recent survey flight. <; Once the service vyas started, he Isaid, the world would be encircled by air routes, because a regular service across the Atlantic could- not be far "jiff,-- and once -the ■ Pacific -was spanned or even before it, regular -.passenger ari:d;mail flights across the Tasman be? ;tween'; New Zealand and Australia would have to come. :.'-■■-, '; ■ ' The flight across the Tasman should be accomplished by aeroplanes leaving one terminal in the morning and arriving at the other in the afternoon. High altitudes, possibly an average of 12 000 ft, would probably -be necessary in order to avoid storms in certain areas. : v .''.. -■:." Mr.Miller is to make a report on.ms visit to New Zealand and Australia to his department. In each country, he took tHe opportunity of travelling by the principal air lines.