Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY, APRIL 28th 1919. COMMERCIAL AVIATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 April 1919, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star MONDAY, APRIL 28th 1919. COMMERCIAL AVIATION.

As a guest of the Australian and New Zealand Luncheon Club in Loudon recently in London, Major-General Sir F. H. Sykes, Controller-General of Civil Aviation, delivered an address on the Imperial aspects of commercial aviation and its development. It was remarkjed that the Imperial aspects of commercial air power could not be over-rated, and its foundations must be well and truly laid. During the war the air forces of the Dominions had worked in the closest cooperation with those from the British Isles. A bond of union had thus been established which both sides must make every effort to maintain and strengthen. Each Dominion should endeavour to establish a Central School at which flying, meteorology and photography should be taught on similar lines. They had been for some time engaged in mapping out the stages of the aerial route to Australia from Cairo via Karachi, Singapore, and the Sunda Islands. Carefully planned pioneer flights along the route as far as Karachi, Delhi, and Calcutta had already been made and experiences of the utmost value had been gained The question which now arose was where the first landing places in Australia should be. At present they were inclined to believe that this should be in the vicinity of Wyndham and that Melbourne should be used ns the centre from which a route could bo established via Tasmania; to New Zealand. The establishment of postal services by aeroplane, assisted in the case of New Zealand bv flying boats, was quite a practical proposition, and on e which the Dominions would no doubt put in hand at an early date. We had, as yet, not much actual experience, but that of the postal service which bad now been in operation between Boulogne and Cologne for some weeks—a four hours’ flight under good conditions—was valuable. He hoped it would shortly be linked up with Folkestone and it should then be possible under favourable circumstances to deliver mails in Cologne within seven hours of their leaving London. New Zealand, owing to the length of her coastline, presented special problems, and great use could probably bo made of flying round the north and south islands for commercial and postal purposes. Australia a nd New Zealand would no doubt los 0 no time in building up their own aircraft industries, but it would be essential to have without delay one or two up-to. dnto meteorological and wireless stations, and the information obtained from those stations must be eo-ordinnt- «•'* ami organised under State reoada. as to fbo m! , irfenau' , c nerossiry lighting of - 1 ’ •!;»< rr-vy

■ trade routes. It rv w . So ?•**«* particularly in the early staff 00 a°rinl transport world Tip expensive w> comparison with otbe° methods l>v+ one must pay for speech During; the ‘en years before the war an average of over £3,000.000 of gold was exported -'nrt'V'l'v from Australia to the United Kingdom. Business men would he t-, r-- u: n f n I Vo on'' 1 "" '"in rroi ’’t .'■•r'drt hr if this bullion ppnVi he tr n n'’ fevred and nut into circulation in. sav ten days instead of sixty. The same consideration applied between Australia and New Zealand. When Major-Gene, ral Sykes left Paris just before making this address progress had already been made towards the settlement of an In. ternationnl Aerial Convention the draft articles of which had been tinder discussion with representatives of the Dominions. After an agreement with our Allies ithe Convention would he approved bv the Peace Conference. The organisation of mnil and trade routes end services on international lines would then become possible, and a comprehensive system of aerial communication should he rapidly established.