FORGING THE LINKS IN CHAIN OF EMPIRE’S AIRWAY STATIONS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 135, 29 August 1927, Page 1

FORGING THE LINKS IN CHAIN OF EMPIRE’S AIRWAY STATIONS

BRITISH EXPERTS ARRIVE—MISSION TO REPORT ON MOORING MASTS—SEVENTEEN DAYS TO INVESTIGATE DOMINION’S POTENTIALITIES—NEW ZEALAND TO BE LAST POST IN LONG LINE

GIANT airways, linking the British Empire. That is the dream of the British Airways Mission and others, and it is a dream which is slowly but surely materialising. This morning the members of the mission arrived by the Aorangi from Sydney. They are Group-Captain P. F. M. Feliowes, D. 5.0., A.D.C., R.A.F., who iis in charge, Flight-Lieu-tenant S. Nixon, 0.8. E., and Mr. M. A. Giblett, M.Bc., superintendent of the Royal Airship Meteorological Division of the Air Ministry.

QINCE June 28 the experts nave been in Australia and have visited Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Hobart and Launceston. 'They came at the invitation of the Australian Government and have come on to New Zealand in response to an invitation from the New Zealand Government. The three members will Investigate and report on the best places for the erection of mooring towers, and other business in connection with the de velopment of the British Empire airship scheme. STAY IN NEW ZEALAND The members of the mission expect to stay in New Zealand for 17 days and will then return to England via Australia, India, Ceylon and Egypt. They were met on the Aorangi by Major T. M. Willces, Director of A.ir Services in New Zealand, and Captain J. L. Findlay, who flew from Christchurch with a machine which is to be at the disposal of the members of the mission in Auckland. Aboard the Aorangi this morning Captain Feliowes explained that the tour was really the outcome of the Imperial Conference. The mission had reported to the Australian Government, and had suggested putting mooring towers in the east and west of the continent. Those two towers would be essential, though other places had also been selected if they were required. The capital cost of the whole British Empire airship scheme would be £4,500,000, said Lieutenant Nixon. This would include ships, mooring masts, and incidental accessories. it was remarkably cheap compared with the outlay for big steamships. The South African Government and the Canadian Government have both ordered mooring towers in preparation for the scheme. New Zealand and Australia have not done that yet. and unless Australia agrees to come into the scheme, the Dominion cannot hope to. SAFER FLYING During the last five years, said Captain Feliowes, Erigland has carried out extensive research regarding the safety of flying, with the result that much safer airships have been devised, and they are now constructed on an entirely new basis. Two ships are to be built in 1928, and it is expected that they will be quite safe for commercial flying. Mooring towers enable an airship to be moored or released in any weather and have reduced the man-power necessary for working them from 400 or 500 to 10. The approximate cost of an airship is £250,000, and the cost of a mooring tower £42,000. One tower has already been built in England, one In Egypt, and one in India. The erection of those in Canada and South Africa will begin shortly. It is hoped that the big shipping companies will come into the scheme within the next two years. Weather plays an important part in airways, and Mr. Giblett. who nas come out to study conditions here, said of Dr. E. Kidson to the Meteorological this morning that New Zealand is to be congratulated on the appointment Department. He is very highly thought of in the meteorological world and is a most eflieient man. WEATHER EXPERT Before he left London, Mr. Giblelt. carefully perused the Empire meteoro-

logical records in tlie divisional library there. So ne is thoroughly up-to-date in New Zealand weather conditions. The principal reason for his stay in New Zealand will be to tender advice in connection with the proposed bases. It is essential, of course, that there should be a meteorological bureau with every base. “For Instance, the base should not be too near a large expanse of water,” said Mr. Giblett, “yet it must not be far away. Neither must it be too near the hills, as the land formations have a great deal to do with winds. Therefore, the selection of the base is highly important from the meteorological point of view.” Though this is Mr. Giblett’s first visit to New Zealand, he is keenly interested in the Dominion.. “If this country is as beautiful as shown in the films we saw while coming across from Sydney,” he said, “I feel sure that we will have an exceedingly interesting time here.”

Auckland Anthropologists.— Mr. Gilbert Arcliey, curator of the Auckland Museum, will speak before the Anthropology and Maori Race Section of the Auckland Institute to-night on anthropology.