TWO PLANES AND WARSHIP

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 250, 12 January 1928, Page 1

TWO PLANES AND WARSHIP

H.M.S. DUNEDIN PUTS TO SEA TUG REPORTS VISIBILITY GOOD: NO NEWS TWO airplanes and the Wellington Harbour Board’s tug, Toia, are searching for the missing Tasman flyers, but up to the time of going to press only negative news had been received. Visibility is good, however, and the search is being continued. Meantime the wives of the airmen and the official party maintain their anxious vigil. (Special to THE SUE)

WELLINGTON. To-day. The closest sifting of hundreds of rumours that the trans-Tasman airplane had been seen or heard in many parts of the southern area of the North Island occupied the attention of officials until last evening, when it was regretfully decided that no reliance could be placed on any of the stories. The two most reliable overnight clues, those from Stephen’s Island lighthouse and the steamer Arahura, were disposed of early. The only remaining likely story is that of the Paekakariki Hill witnesses, but little reliance is placed on this. During the afternoon two reports from the Wairarapa Lake district negatived each other on account of time. The steamer Kaiwarra confirmed the report of the sighting of the airplane. The captain says that he distinctly saw a powerful light, also flares dropped. Sydney advices, however, state that the plane carried no lights.

Officials now take the view that the airmen could not have reached New Zealand shores when night fell. The worst fears seem to be confirmed, for with the fliers 24 hours overdue, and practically the whole of New Zealand anxiously searching for them, it seems most unlikely that they had landed.

The only hope that remains Is that the two men are successfully keeping afloat in a rubber raft, if they had descended in the Tasman which seems the most likely event when the signals failed at 5.20 on Tuesday.

The chances of their being picked up at sea, however, are extremely remote, as there are very few ships between New Zealand and Australia. After it was found that Captain Buckley was unable to fly past Blenheim on account of the weather, the tug Toia set out on what seemed a hopeless search. The sympathy of the whole country goes out, particularly to the three closest and dearest to the airmen—Lieut. Moncrieff’s aged mother, who is reported to be in a serious nervous state, his wife, and Captain Hood’s wife. The two younger women have been very plucky and refused to give up hope. They waited all last evening with Messrs. A. McNicol and R. J. Macdonald, trustees of the flight, and other backers, at their hotel. The whole party was obviously much overwrought, but ever trying to be optimistic. It is possible that a deal of criticism will be levelled against both the New Zealand and Australian Governments. The Dominion Government’s attitude seemed to be that the machine chosen was entirely unsuitable for the project, for several reasons, the chief of which was that it was unable to keep afloat in the sea and did not carry wireless. The Government was not officially interested in the flight, although wishing the plucky airmen good luck, and it would seem that this attitude was not altogether unjustified, by the turn of events. It is stated in many quarters that assistance should have been ready earlier, but this could not be done without heavy expense involved in sending warships into the Tasman Sea, and airplanes to various parts of the West Coast for days during the uncertainty of the actual date of the flight. It seems that there was little jhe Government could have done. AS it

was the whole organisation of the Defence Force, Air Force and Post Office was placed at the disposal of the organisers on the day of the flight. Subsequently in the search for the fliers these departments spared no labour or expense. Every official of the post office has been keyed to concert pitch in the endeavour to trace the men. The thousands of inquiries received from the public have been dealt with with every courtesy.