The Guardian And Evening star, with which is incorporated the west Coast Times. THURSDAY, JUNE, 27, 1929. THE SOUTHERN CHESS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 June 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening star, with which is incorporated the west Coast Times. THURSDAY, JUNE, 27, 1929. THE SOUTHERN CHESS.

The Southern tro.-s is again en route on a womicriui living' trip. M lie nure- j pid Hying men will lie leaving A us- j trulia, however, with rntiier ail in- | uiii’orent tasie m their mouths. They will have realised to the lull the old adage that nothing succeeds like success. A ikt.e wmie ago and they were heroes. Now they appear to be incompetent at least! Their wonderful record of achievements was forgotten by a fickle public in a moment when the mere breathing of a. suspicion was circulated. Surely that greeneyed monster, jealousy, must have been the basis of that insinuating rumour which could in so brief a. time, and without opportunity for explanation, have undermined their great reputation. For it was a great reputation they achieved. 'Their indomitable pluck in persevering to accomplish the Pacific flight indicated the spirit of .lie men. And then they made successfully that wonderfully long and successful flight. No less outstanding was their swift aerial voyage to New Zealand, and later the successful return trip in the face of fearful odds. The flying stunts about Australia were as nothing to those trans-ocean voyages, which called for the highest courage and unbounded resource. They succeeded perhaps out of all expectations, e.se why did they become such feted heroes? Then came the disastrous start for England. They who had found the way across the trackless seas, were lost in a land flight, and only skilful handling of tlto giant plane in effecting a landing, saved them from disaster. At that moment the lying jade 01 rumour became busy, and how quickly were their reputations undermined In many quarters oven their rescue from starvation did not move the people, 'j neir home-coming was an anti-climax to the furore of other days. They were a discredited people even before being heard. r l he enquiry revealed that the machine was not equipped as it might have been to meet any and all emergency. Lt appears to us that equipment such as lias been detailed would be of little avail in the mid-Tasman, for instance. Axes etc. would have been of no avail there, and special supplies of rations would have been of less use. It was not a. serious offence that this e’x.tra loading was not car/ried on such a trio, and the wonder is that so much was made of it. Moir and Owen who had their mishap shortly after, were not equipped as they shou.d have been, but they have not boon carpeted for taxing the risk they did in the single desire to succeed. The .ong-distance flights of the Southern Cross are of course full of risks, but the leaders are happiest in triose ventures. They have been wonderfully successful in their achievements, and yet they stand discredited men. Notwithstanding tneir privations when isolated they are criticised for this and that, as if what they did, or what they did not, were tne outcome of conspiracy to deceive. Such a conclusion is unthinkable. The wireless operator has been eluded because of failure o do certain tilings. We know that the party attempted to get messages through by methods of : their own, which they Relieved to lie best. Experts often differ as to ways of doing things, and we may lie sure McWilliams put his best into his job. He took up the present work so that New Zealand might be directly associated with the Trans-Tasman flight, and till yesterday lie was considered a Hero for the wonderful achievement in which he participated and for his strict devotion to his special duties. Now there are few to do him reverence. In the ups and downs (literally) of flying, the crew of the .Southern Cross have ■ perhaps never experienced a worse bump than the present. Let us hope they are continuing on their way rejoicing, and will once again make good so that all the world may realise again the stuff they are made of.