THRILL CRAZY

NZ Truth, Issue 1187, 30 August 1928, Page 6

THRILL CRAZY

Projected Tasman Suicide At one time it was customary for civilians — or anyone else, for that matter— who exhibited any tendencies towards violently hairbrained notions, to suffer the restrictive measures 'of a straight-- - jacket. To-day, it seems as though any fool intent upon throwinghis life into the air may do so without either let or hindrance. WITHIN the last four days the daily " newspapers of this country have given prominence to a stream of. cabled nonsense from. Australia, whence c6mes the intimation that Captain Kingsford Smith and his companions have received, a challenge to fly across the Tasman,. minus either a navigator or, a radio man. One would not cajole if the sporting instinct were the underlying stimulus, but from the somewhat, hysterical way m which the gauntlet has been thrown down by a man ; named Brundel,. the thrill of competition is. overset* by a suggestion of self-aggrandizement,, an implication that Brundel will "show the world," as he rather crudely put it. Is the memory of this man so short that he has suffered it to. obliterate the pitiful recojlection of the way m which Moncrieff .and Hood were rewarded? '■..'.-' Certainly; there is the imputation that neither, of these two New Zealanders was fully prepared, . but against this there is'- the fact that Brundel's men propose tb cross the Tasman m a monoplane, which at once, wipes put any provision for eventualities. , ■■-. Even if Kingsford Smith agrees to accept thc provisions of the suicide pact drawn up by Brundel, and somebody wins the race, what will it .'prove ?'| Commerce may attempt. to prove that . So-and-so's oil and benzine, or Some-body-else's piston rings really won the race; the people of this earth, m a condition - of temporary bewilderment at the '"feat,'' may shower the winners with bouqxiets — and they may not. It wiil prove that both parties were willing to take an insane risk— -that' although, they continually felt , the eerie wings of death, they, were nQt dismayed — but of potential significance m the interests of future communication between the . two countries- there appears to be nothing at all. What sane man o? ■ woman is sincerely interested iii persons who emit the hollow boast that they have faced death with -impurfity, when there is no conceivable benefit to mankind by their so doing? ' ' v Aerial races.of this nature, across a stretch of water as^ yet unspanned by airmen, do j not accomplish anything more than the. logging of certain speeds— a thin, . miserable crust of the true pioneering " spirit which . yields valuable data for the future safety of mankind and the expedition of, the world's transport. ' declaration is to the effect tbat he or his men were prepared to show.the. world flying 4t6 New Zealand was not unduly dangerous. ' , Quite so — and is there any strong evidence to the contrary? " -But why scrap ail sensible precautions m "the enxleavor to .prove his contention.? 1 .•'■•'•. r \-'lt is fairly safe to assume- that the majority of New Zealanders. will agree that aerial communication bet\veen Australia and New Zealand is merely a question -of intense preparation and careful, campaigning. ' ' At any rate,, if will be surprising to most of tis if Captain Kingsford Smith subscribes to'the proposal of Brundel, particularly m view of the precautionary measures already, taken to ensure successi '■'- . ..'.'* .-.-':'..'.■.-- --•" It is unlilcely that the, trans-Pacific flyers' will-'. be, bludgeoned into any hazai'dous flirtations with death, merely to satisfy the captious imagination of a quasi-pioneer. .