Pacific Air Service

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 41, 18 February 1937, Page 7

Pacific Air Service

STATEMENT BY COMPANY * REPRESENTATIVE. Ter Press Association. WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. When asked to-day if the statement published in Auckland, that serious difficulties had arisen between the Pan-American Airways Co., and the New Zealand Government in regard to the Company’s proposals to establish a flying boat service, giving three to four days’ connection between San Francisco and New Zealand, Mr. Harold Gatty, representative of the Company in New Zealand, replied that he had from the very commencement of negotiations refrained from discussing the nature of the discusion publicly, for the Company’s attitude was that it would have been improper to take any step which would unduly stir up public interest while the discussions were in progress. He repeated that relations between himself and the Government had been consistently of a friendly nature and he had personally been treated with the utmost courtesy. “I have every hope that the discussions will be concluded satisfactorily very shortly now. An agreement was signed over fifteen months ago, and it its perfectly correct that nearly three months ago three experts of the Company arrived in New Zealand, bringing with them all tho equipment necessary for the establishment of such terminal facilities as are necessary for the reception and overhaul o£ machines on their first flights. Those officers of the Company are still in New Zealand awaiting instructions to commence their work. The position is that the Company is ready and has been ready many weeks now to commence exploratory flights down the Pacific, and had it not been for the intervention of the Pacific maritime strike, an altogether unforeseen circumstance experts and all the equipment could have been her# many weeks earlier,” he added.