EMERGENCY AERODROMES

Evening Star, Issue 22440, 10 September 1936, Page 8

EMERGENCY AERODROMES

WHEN NIHEDIN IS BEFOGGED TWO SITES ON NORTHERN COAST SURVEYS BY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT The building of emergency aerodromes for Dunedin at either Waikouaiti or Hampden, or at both places on tho northern coast, is being investigated by the Public Works Department, the Minister of Defence (Hon. _F. Jones) announced in an interview with the ‘ Star ’ to-day. The Minister said the Dunedin City Council had been making investigations into the construction of an emergency aerodrome in the sandhills at Waikouaiti. The Public Works Department was also interested in the project, but the reports on the feasibility of the scheme were not completed, t Simultaneously, the Public Works Department was investigating a landing ground at Hampden, and the question yet to be decided was whether grounds would be constructed at both places or at either Hampden or Waikouaiti. The suitability of the grounds would be determined by the _ department’s engineers, in collaboration with the civil and defence air service experts. “ Just how far the City Council is prepared to go in providing an emergency ground I cannot say,” added Mr Jones. “ The policy of the Government has been to assist local bodies by the supply of labour and supervision in the construction of aerodromes. It seems necessary that Dunedin should have an emergency landing field. When the Taieri aerodrome is fog-bound, the air service machines have to return to Timaru. That centre is far distant from Dunedin, and consequently disorganisation of the service results. The nature of the country surrounding the city also suggests the necessity of emergency grounds.” A suggestion had been made that tho Government should assist in making a seaplane base on the foreshore of the Upper Harbour, Mr Jones said. Hobsonville was tho main seaplane base in New Zealand, and already PanAmerican Services, who were to conduct the Pacific run, had asked that it should be their New Zealand terminal. The terminal of the transtasman service had not been decided, although Wellington had made claims to be allocated the base. “ Has the Government considered Otago Harbour as a likely base in the cveut of the development of the use of seaplanes for defence purposes P” Mr Jones was asked. “ We have now only one seaplane in the service,” he replied. “ However, if we decided to increase the number of planes for defence, the question of bases would then arise. Lyttelton and Dunedin would then come under consideration as airports.”