The Hokitika Guardian MONDAY, OCTOBER 2nd, 1922. AERIAL SCHEMES.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 October 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian MONDAY, OCTOBER 2nd, 1922. AERIAL SCHEMES.

Nkw Zealand still lugs behind in aerial progress. Even private enterprise in the matter is waning. Sot so in Australia, where aerial navigation and services are expanding all the time. One of the large British war airships will probably visit Australia next year, and by 1025 it is expected to have a weekly airship service from Sydney to London, the journey occupying about 12 days. This statement was made to a “Sydney Herald” reporter by Sir Keith Smith recently, Sir Keith said that according to the cable advices lie had received from London the British and India,!! Governments bad agreed to support the scheme being organised by private capitalists and companies in England, and all that now remained to ensure that Australia would lie included in the aerial services was the support of the Federal Government “I have.” said Sir Keith Smith, “placed all the facts at my disposal before the Prime Minister, who is keenly interested in the late-t proposal for an Imperial air service.” According to information supplied by Sir Keitli Smith a private company, on which there will he representatives of the participating Governments, is lieing formed with a capital i-f £1.000.000. of which 1,000.000 is to lie in ordinary shares, on which a dividend free of income tax at tile rate of fi per cent, per annum is to he guaranteed for 10 years. The remaining £0.000.000 is to lie in debentures on which interest at the rate of IJ per cent per annum is to be guaranteed until redemption. The Governments participating are not to

be asked for any capital subsidy other than an annual contribution to pay the guaranteed interest on t-lie ordinary shares and debentures for 10 years. The amounts have lieen fixed at £91.(XX) per annum for. the British Government and £IO,OOO per annum each from the Indian and Australian Governments. Sir Keith Smith says that his cable advices show that the British and Indian Governments have approved of these financial proposals, the first contribution to ho in respect of 1929. In addition, the British Government is placing unreservedly at the disposal of the company all the airships and airship material, and bases now under Government- control, and will also supply free of cost wireless telegraphy and meteorological services. “The present airships are.” said Sir Keith, “to lie

used for the purposes of experiment over the proposed London and Sydney route, which it is expected will include the following bases; —London, Cairo, Delhi, or Calcutta., Rangoon, Singapore, Java, Darwin and Sydney. This will he practically an All-Red Route, but there will probably lie extensions to Hongkong, and Japan. lam returning to London via China and Japan and will discuss the matter with the authorities in these countries. I have been assured that the Netherlands Government will- give every possible facility in Java, and it is expected that Japan will also lake a practical interest in the scheme for a branch service from Singapore, via Hong kong to Tnkio. “Early next year one of the large British airships will, it is expected, be used by a trained staff for an investigation of the route to India and Australia, for the purpose of testing the effects of tho tropical heat and air currents on the gas in the airship, and for collecting other data. The present proposals comprise a bi-weekly service to India and a. weekly service to Australia. The Indian service, it is expected, will he started in 1924 and the Australian services the following year, assuming that the Federal Government agrees to participate.”