Airship Service

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 118, 9 August 1927, Page 15

Airship Service

Britain to Australia

Discussing the proposal to establish an airship service between Great Britain and Australia, concerning which three experts from the British Air Ministry are at present visiting the Commonwealth, the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. S. M. Bruce, said that up to the present the Federal Government was not committed to any expenditure in the matter of erecting mooring towers. The British Air Ministry was convinced that the two airships now being built, from which all the defects of former types had been eliminated, were certain to be successful. If this was found to be correct when the ships had been given a trial, and their use had been proved practicable, the Commonwealth would be prepared to do its part in the direction of erecting the towers. Mr. Bruce mentioned, incidentally, that the members of the delegation were convinced that an airship service between Britain and Australia could be established, and it was only a matter of building enough ships to commence a regular service. Although at the 192 S Imperial Conference it was thought by the experts that the development of air services would be accomplished by heavier-tlian-air machines, there was a complete change of opinion at the last conference, and there was now not a man

in the Air Ministry who did not think that future development of long-dis-tance Empire air services would be established with airships.