Air Prestige

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 69, 8 April 1937, Page 6

Air Prestige

— Prpps As«nrintion.^

BRITAIN SAFE IN PAGFIC Actiug-Prime Minister's Assurance SAFEGUARDS TAKEN

(By Telej?T>tnh

;VTELLINGTON, April f. ^/'N# jhreat to British. air preitigo in pi. Paeiflo k ereated by Pan-Am5ricwi jjarrray*' projeeted trans-iPaciflo ser* yi'ct," it&ted ihe acting Prime, Minii$er (Hon# P. Fraier), to-day, when •iked to eonmient os the cable recently •eeeived from Austraiia, and puiportlng to omanaia from tho Canberra corresgoadent of tho Sydney Morning Herald. *It 3« trttOj" said Mr Fraser, "that Pan-American Airways hope to inaugur•ts • xognlar air oervieo between Honplnlu and New Zealand before tho end ef ihe present year,- but the conditions of the company's eontraet with the New Zealand Government ore such that the ■erviee, if started, caimot constitute « cfch.reat,' as is suggested in tke cfble, to jBritish interests in the Pacific. "As already arinounced by Mr SavOge, adequate st'eps have been taken to E'eguaxd British. interests, particnJarly Tegard to the question of Teciprocal hts in tho event of a British Comfconwealth air service being instituted. As a matter of fact, tho granting of |rach reciprecal rights is specifically provided for in the original agreement Jintered into by ihe previous Govefnjp.ent, on November 25, 1935, as a nlpst Important- eondition on which the conjfcinnation* f of Hhe Pan-American service inay depend." • The? cable 'from Austraiia. also stated $hat. ''the decision of the New Zealand Government to co-operate in the plffns pf Pan-American Airways for the estaMishmeht of an air mail service between North America and Kew Zealand fcsjj^introdnced an • embarrassing olsment.^|ii . «Mr^Fraser aaid he i ound it difficult to anderatand ibo-meaning of thia referince,. as the Kew Zealand Government |tad ontered into no mail contraet. witb Pan-American Airways, ,The Kew Zealand Government could, of eourse, if it thoge, do so and nse the American soraieo for ihe earriage of mails, but It pras nnder no obligation to do so, It sras only f air .to Pan-American Airways to state that at no time had they asked for a mail con.tract. , Mr Fraser eipressed the bolief that the British Commonwealth and the Cnited States would co-operate . with aach other in the friendliest* spirit'in the development of trans-Pacific aviation. Kew Zealand had recently given . a convincing demonstration of its goodwill towards the TJnited States and he was eertain that as and when ihe ocgasion for, its exercise arose such goodsrill would be reciprocated with. equal tordiality by ihe Government , of that eountry. * So far os the Tasman service was conMrned, conclnded Mr Praser, "there was j mo grouUd fdr apprehension. It • might be unduly postponed through being ■abjordinated to o.ther British interests, - as sttggested in the* cable already meniioned. * A snbstantial measure oi agreement had already been xeached be-/ iween the Governments of the United Uingdom, Austraiia and Kew Zealana •ach of whom was anrions, in' co-opera-llaon with the others, to inaugurato the •ervice at ihe earliest jmssible aate.