AIR TRAVEL BEST

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 7, 23 January 1937, Page 4

AIR TRAVEL BEST

MR F, D. Herrick Convinced of its Merits EXPERIENCES OF HIS TRIP After making a leisurely flight round the world Mr F. D. Herrick, ' of Hastings, has returned home. He left Australia last June hy plane and returned to Wellington on Wednesday, arriving from Sydney hy the Wanganella, accompanied hy his daughter, Miss Una Herrick. Mr Herrick made the return trip hy air service, hut the fiight to England was made in a plane piloted hy the well-kuowu aviator,"Mr F, C, Chichester, The entire trip was made without serious uiishap, although the fliers had oue trying experience in a typhoon near Hong Ivong, and Mr Herrick 's arm was brcken hy the propellor when ianding «it Baghdad. The plane was a siugleengined machine. Mr Herrick is now uonvinced that air travei is tlio hoet. The greatest trouble met with during the trip was in Persia, Mr Herrick told A "Herald-Tribuae" reporter. AntiBritish feeling was rife thoi'e over the oil question. They had to have their passports renewed before entering the country, but this was not suffieient. On Ianding at the port of Bushire, on the north-east shore of the Persian Gulf. they were approached by officials who cxamined their papers ane. declared that they were not in order. They refused to allow them to continue their journey. The piane was loeked up, apd an armed man with a bayonet stood on guard outside day and night, for f our days. Finally, with the aid of a British resident who got in touch with the eonsul, tliey were permitted to proceed, but the delay had meant considerahle inconvenienee and the place where they had to rcmaiu was devoid of interest to visitors. Similar restrictions prevented

Mr Heriiek with a smile, "but I did!" The vegetation was extremely beauti ful, but it was fast becoming a regular tourist resort and was losing much of its eharm on that account, While iu Australia Mr Herrick met the "Flyiug Doctor," who covers a large sparsely-populated area in the Northern Territory with a plane fitted for the trangport of siek persons. Mr Herrick found hina particularly inter« esting and visited his headquarters, where there was a large "ana thoroughlymodern hospital. The nurse m eharge explained that the only trouble at the time was that they had no patients to care for. The doctor recqived palls from aa far away as 200 or 3Q0 miles and flew to the patients' aid in his plane. There were terrible droughts in parts of Australia when Mr He.yick visited there and when he returned about Pix nionths later, the drought remained unbrpken in Some parts, although others wero thoroughly fortile again. Droughts in Hawke's Bay were not comparable with those in Australia, but the farmers there bore their trouble with remarkable elieerfulnesg, CONSTITUTIONAL CRIS1S. Mr Herrick was in London during the recent constitutional crisis. There was tremendous excitement at the time and people &eemed to he divided according to their ideas, Out Mr Herrick thought that every thing had again gettled down and the fact that there was now a Que8n would make a greaf difference. The people of England had always had great aftection toward their Queens. Mr Hoirick had visited London about a year before, but even in that time he noticed changes, New houses were being erected on the ontskirts, and the city Vvras extending all the time. Eegulations were being epforced to prevent the rupid spread of " jerry-built " dwellings, endeavours being made to work along the lines of a definite townplanuing prcgramme. Mr Herrick had great admiration for the way London controlled its traffie. It was particularly notieeahle, he remarked, how pedestrians and mbtorists obey the rules. There seemed jn N§W Zealand to be a laxity about keepiug to the right side of the street and a tendency towardg " jay-walking, " but there was nothing like this in London. "Air travel depcnds a great deal upon the eomfort of the seats. This makes all the difference," said Mr Herrick in conclusion. Every where he went he had found the aerodromes and the Ianding and refuelling facilities quito adequate.

their fiying across Russia. They were forced to turn back after reacMug i'eipixig, a,nd had to alter tlie wholo itinerary,

A BROKEN ARM, A Ianding was mado at Baghdad ij) the dax-k. Mr Herrick, in attempting to iocate hxs bearings with a torch, rau foul of the revolvxng propellor and had his arm broken. He was attended to at the local hospitai, which appeared to be lilled with coloured people. Mr Herrick was attended to by a male nurse, but xjext day lxe went to a European (loctgjvyho get the broken boae. The arm is now fully healed, bnt this accident entailed further delay. The. fiiers were held up for several days at O'airo, but while there a fiight was inade over the pyramids. The plane landed and took olf several times on the tahara Desert, Mr Herrick saying that the sand was quite hard, making the task comparatively easy, Eariier on tlxe trip a call had been made at Timor, where the Dutch inhabitants showed wonderfnl hospitality and the land was very fertile. The Timor Sea was crossed, but the weather being fine and cairn, the journey helO nonq of the terrors often assoeiated with this wide stretch of water. While crossing the sea on the way to Hong Kong, however, the plane was eaught in a typhoon. The terrific wind, travelling in a circle like a huge whirlwind, was accompanied by torrential rain. Mr Chichester felt that the only safe course was to make a t.urn and fly out of the typhoon, although this meant a deviation from the intended roxxte, leaving out several places where they had intended to call. In Shanghai Mr Herrick. met a nuxnber of Naw Zealanders, but in other parts of China and Japan they were taken for spies and regarded with suspicion. The use of cameras w.as forbidden in. most parts of the East, as well. as in some European countries. Authorities took steps immediately to seal all cameras so that they could not be used. More restrictions were plaeed upon the fliers when they reached Singapore. Here, again, no photographs were allowed to be taken. Because of th9 sjow-working offiexal procedure of tho Ohinese and Japanese a stay of severetl days was necessary before perraissiou was granted to fly acxoas the Great Wai] of China. A flight was also mado across the French Alps. ISLAND OF BALT. Java was reached after leaving Australia, The density of population hore was all the more remarkable aftei tlxe sparsely-inhabited areas of the Ausfcralian continent. Tlie island of Be.lx, in the Duteh East Indies, was also visited. This island is notpd for ite beautiful women. ' ' I was tohi that I woulcl nev'exnway from this island,/' re.xnarked ,