Dominion's Growing Air Traffic

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 32, 8 February 1937, Page 7

Dominion's Growing Air Traffic

Its Value in Defence MR. SEMPLE IS PICTURESQUE. Per Press Association. NELSON, Feb. 6. The ceremony to mark the commencement of construction work on the new Nelson aerodrome this afternoon was very largely attended. Hon. R. Semple was the principal speaker. Within two years Nelson will be provided with ono of the finest aerodromes in the Dominion, adequate for all purposes including overseas services. This combined with the fact that climatically Nelson is regarded by experts as an all-weather airport augurs well for the future. Tho work is being financed by the Public Works Department which is supervising the construction. The Nelson Harbour Board, the airport authority, will take over the control of tho ground when completed. The work is being done by modern machinery, the contractors being Gough, Gough and Hamer Ltd., of Christchurch. The work consists of removing over 500,000 cubic yards of spoil. Mr. Bemple said the gathering was historic, laying tho foundation of a new system. Air transport was developing more quickly than many real ised. The Government was ready to profit by the experience of other countries and would develop aviation in New Zealand to the full, including the use of radio and meteorology. Some £600,000 had been spent in aerodromes and aviation. The figure this year woe £340,000. Already New Zealand services had carried 25,000 passengers, 43 tons of mail and 21 tons of freight without one single accident—a record for the world. He had been told the Government was assisting the Wellington City Council to make Rongotai as safe as possible but they must have an emergency ground. This would be at Paraparaumu and would be used when the other port was workable. The Government realised that the provision of many aerodromes would be a factor in making flying safe. Referring to defence, Mr. Semple wanted to say he was not a militarist or anything of that sort, but he had sense enough to see they were living in a troubled world with certain nations governed by dictators. They would never take war to others but tho fact was war might come to them and they should be prepared to protect their country. Tho best way—the only real way to protect this country, was by an air force. The Government was busy obtaining reports on these lines. The countries of the world were beiug drawn closer together duo to this wouderful means of transport. In dealing with the construction work, Mr. Semple said Gough, Gough and Hamer had secured the contract by open tender. Some had disugrecd with his policy of using machines. He had been told that was a bad thing for the country, but would they dump tho ocean liner and go back to tho canoe? Would they dump tho aeroplane and go back to tho balloon?

“We are living in an inventive age. These wonders are there for U 3 to lit into our daily task. The use of modern machinery means cutting down the cost four times over. Would I be justified in spending four times as much as necessary by using wheelbarrows and a bit of tin on the end of a stick and not getting the job done in our lifetime/ “Further, I wanted money sgved for use in other directions. We want to develop New Zealand as quickly as we can. Wo must transfer laborious toil to machinery and make machinery the servant and not the master.” Tributes were paid to the Minister and Government for the expeditious manner iu which tho negotiations for the aerodrome were carried out. Gil Robles: “Spain is witnessing the murder of democracy at the hands of Caballero.” Gil Robles was not wrung what this gentleman meant was what he was witnessing was the end of Gil Robles’ democracy and tho commencement of the people’s democracy. And he is not going to take it lying down. I will reserve the history of this gentleman for a future occasion. Sir, the correspondent’s letter is n crude attempt to discredit the democra tically elected Government of Spain by bringing in other issues. His statement: 44 A straw* often shows how the wind blows” in the circumstances distressing. I rofor him to a leading article in a local contemporary quoting a statement from a book by Mr. John Langdon Davies: ‘‘Behind the Spanish Barricades.” It states: 4 ‘His sympathies are strongly with the Spanish Government and its lawfully-elected majority in the Legislature and against, its enemies, the army, the reactionaries, the absentee landlords, and the capitalists backed by the bayonets of Moors and foreign legionnaries, and the aeroplanes and munitions of Germany and Italy.” He moved about on a motorcycle in tbe areas controlled by the Government at Madrid and Barcelona and declares that ho met ony one Russian during the whole time. A cable item of recent dale stales that tbe German Government is now recording Nazi broadcasts in which Britisfh rule is vilified and Government pronouncements distorted. Your radio tells you this. From certain sources subversive propaganda is pouring out against the Government of Spain, it is therefore necessary that care bo exercised before judgment is made, or it will not be only a tragedy of Spain but a world tragedy. I am, etc., “WORKER. ”