THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1929. AERIAL TRANSPORT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5412, 17 April 1929, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette. With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto: Public Service. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, & FRIDAY. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 1929. AERIAL TRANSPORT.

The sight of an aeroplane circling gracefully overhead most of yesterday served as a visible reminder of a fact mentioned in the columns of the “Hauraki Plains Gazette” a few days ago. The era of aerial transport in New Zealand is approaching more rapidly than the majority have ken of. This is further exemplified by the flight this week of Major Cowper from Christchurch to Auckland, the airman breakfasting in the South Island city and dining in the northern one that same evening. Admittedly no great occurrence so far as distance is concerned, when compared with what goes on regularly every day in other countries, but certainly an occurrence of outstanding significance to the Dominion. In this age, w’hen, however much it may be deplored, speed and more speed seems to be one of the most necessary adjuncts of commerce, the aeroplane has proved itself indispensable'in some matters. Of course, in New Zealand commerce has not reached the same highly tuned pitch achieved by sonic countries abroad, yet, nevertheless, many are the uses air transport could be, and will be, put to here. The somewhat unwelcome truth that New Zealand is the most backward of all nations in aviation, with a few unimportant exceptions, behind even China and the Central American Republics, is easily to be understood and explained. There are no enormous centres of population in the Dominion to be linked up, no contingent countries to maintain air mails with. New Zealand is a small isolated land ; even the tiniest Central American republic is an integral part of a continent. Aerial activities have been slow of establishment in New Zealand, but until quite recently they were not needed. Now, when aviation is necessary to the country, the aeroplanes are coming, and w’ith the experience gained by the pioneers of commercial aerial transport to assist the introducers here, unqualified success should follow the initial experiments.