PUBLIC OPINION.

Hutt News, Volume 1, Issue 21, 20 January 1928, Page 1

PUBLIC OPINION.

By a strange coincidence—almost thought-transference — our editorial remarks, captioned "The Tasman Flight," must have been written and handed in to the printers at the identical same hour and day as the following letter to our big city evening contemporary, and conveying almost similar thoughts upon a phase of political connection with the ill-starred journey of Moncrieff and Hood across the Tasman Sea, not yet generally appreciated or understood. For the reason of its strange coinciding of thought, the editorial and unknown distant correspondent's view expres*.-

Ed • elsewhere, in somewhat similar trend of reasoning—apart from its merits —are extracted and reprinted from our contemporary's earlieiappearing columns, as a coincidence, if nothing else:—

"Sir, —Naturally one does not desire to criticise adversely at this period. At the same time it is quite inexcusable on the part of our Government that they should not have at once appreciated the efforts of Lieut. Moncrieff and Captain Hood in their efforts to be the first to cross the Tasman by airplane. It was quite understood that 'the Government did not countenance the action of the pioneers in question; at the same time it was their duty to at least have had one or two airplanes to greet these men on their arrival on the coast of New Zealand, even if only from the point of view of honouring them, and quite apart—and this should have certainly been done—to act as a guide to the best point for landing if they wei'e later than was anticipated, without a wireless how could one, with ordiriary knowledge of flying, not at once have grasped the situation that these men may have got out of their reckoning by a few miles and with the land obscured at certain points they would not be able to pick up their bearings. The aid of an airplane with men of local knowledge from experience in the past would have probably saved all this anxiety.

When one reflects that the Government could not or would not even honour them with an air reception, it makes one think. Even a steamer — Government or otherwise—could have been sent out to the Straits or in a line with the route the airmen were expected to take to act as a guide or a safeguard. No—everything is left to the last, and even hours afterwards action is only taken. The Government was only too ready to grant the New Zealand cricketers £1000 on their return to New Zealand to make up their losses, but when two such men as Moncrieff and Hood stand out as men and heroes, nothing is done. Had a noted personage or an athlete arrived by steamer from abroad or Australia there would have been a Mayoral reception or Government reception probably. It is notable the number of Ministers of the Crown who waited at Trentham, but where were these Ministers in their prior regard to show honour as should have been shown, when the airmen were approaching the coast, and the latter in a state of mind one does not wish to think, when so near their journey's end and anxiously looking for a land-ing-place or some help.—l am, etc., RESIDENT." 12th January.