Erial Mails

Hokitika Guardian, 27 June 1922, Page 4

Erial Mails

ATSTKAIJA’S I’RKI’A RATION'S. SYDXKV. .Tunc M. ! An indication of the progress <>t civil aviation in Australia and the development of the intor-State mail proposal is contained in a recent announcement by the Director of Civil Aviation. There "'ere now, he said, about GO landing grounds -emergency and otherwise—prepared in the Commonwealth. In some parts the country had offered safe facilities for landing, hut in other localities the ground had required careful preparation for landing places. The air was to have an emerge w|y handling ground every fifteen miles of approved route. The grounds were about 330 yards square. They were marked hv n big hollow circle, the radius of which was 30 feet to the outside and 30 feet to the inside edge. It was proposed to instal at the principal landing grounds petrol storage places. The Government’s vote last year for civil aviation services was COS,OOO. It has been indicated, that next financial year the vote would he larger. It was expected that funds would he obtained for the maintenance of the proposed petrol storage depots and for the employment of caretakers, at the depots. Since the fatal acoi dent at the opening of the GeraldtnnTTerhy (W.A.) route the service and been 'definitely established on a regular and punctual mail-carrying basis. It had 100 per cent of efficiency. Be. tween Goraldton aii,( Derby there were lour intermediate steps, including Carnarvon, Onslow and Broome. The Central Queensland mail route, which should he in operation in August, would operate between Ohnrlevillc and CloiiruiTy, with intermediary stops -it Tamho ) Blackball, Lnngrench, Winton and Markin]ay. It would proceed north and south, connecting railroad termini with the districts mentioned. With regard to the contracts let for the Sydnoy-Brisbane and Adelnidc-Syd-uey services, those would, commence as soon as the machines arrived from abroad. When all the services already tendered for were in operation about' ' 3000 miles of country would be covered, i