GRANT TO AIRMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 457, 12 September 1928, Page 9

GRANT TO AIRMEN

PRAISE FOR GALLANTRY AND SKILL PENSIONS FOR MRS. HOOD AND MRS. MONCRIEFF (THE SUN’S Parliamentary JZ epori t ) WELLINGTON. Tuesday. In announcing that the Government would give £2,000 for the Tasman flyers, the Prime Minister recalled the fate of Captain Hood and Lieutenant Moncrieff, and the State’s duties to their dependents. In the House this afternoon. Mr. G. R. Sykes (M&sterton) asked the Prime Minister, as a matter of urgency, whether, in view of the successful crossing of the Tasman Sea by Kings - ford Smith and his party, the Government would consider giving some practical recognition of their great achieveMr. Coates said that he wanted to re - fer first to the effort which had been made by Moncrieff and Hood. The Government some time ago had decided to make a contribution in order that, with the contributions which had been made by the people of New Zealand, the widows of the ill-fated airmtn would receive an equivalent of a war widow’s pension. That had now been arranged. Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith’s flight had been successful as a result of wonderful organisation, and lie thought the people of New Zealand would like to recognise this great flight, in some tangible manner. The Government ha ddecided to make a small recognition of the efforts of the airmen in the form of the presentation of £2,000. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. H. E. Holland, having been given leave to speak, said that the Opposition would join with the Government in any move it made to give recognition to the wonderful achievement that had been made by Kingsford Smith _and those associated with him in the flight from Australia. So far as the Labour Party was concerned, its members would like to render the sincerest congratulations to the flyers and to express gratification at the fact that they had made such a successful flight. The flyers were to be commended on their insistence on the observance of safety conditions, and their refusal to be drawn into anything like spectacular stunts such as was involved in the challenge made to them recently, lie suggested that the Prime Minister get into communication with the flyers, to ascertain if it would be possible for them to visit Wellington and make a landing here. Mr. Holland endorsed what Mr. Coates had said with respect to Hood and Moncrieff, and added that he thought the very least this country could do should be to make provision for their dependents. The Government could depend upon it that when that provision was being made it would get support from the Opposition benches.