COMMERCIAL AIR FLIGHT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3402, 5 February 1920, Page 6

COMMERCIAL AIR FLIGHT.

. AIR ROUTES DISCUSSED. LONDON, Feb. 2. Major-General Sykes delivered a lecture-on Imperial air routes of the Geographical S'o‘ciety, before 43. large gathering, ‘including the Prince of Wales and oflicial representatives of the Dominions. Sykes defined the routes as Egypt to India, Cairo to the Cape, India to Australia, England to Egypt, England to Canada, also England to the West ‘lndies’ and the Azores. Sykes emphasised the ‘necessity of keeping the‘ first line of the fighting air force always on a war footing. Military aviation was however, circumscribed on the ground of finance, While civil aviation must never cease to expand. Each should co-oper-late, one for the Empire ’s defence, and theother as an instrument for the development of Imperial trade, which could be used, if necessary, as a great aerial reserve. Sykes hoped that before long the air force of the Empire would be welded into one force, and co-ordinated by the Imperial Air Staff. He was of opinion the principles of service and civil aviation .eXperimen'ts ,applied equally to the Domiinons as the Mother Country. Sykes was of opinion that if the Empire lair power, both service and civil, were developed and co-ordinated, our air supremacy might in future be more successful in assisting to maintain the world’s than sea supremacy, as in the past. Examining the routes, he said Egypt to » India held out many advantages, owing} to the great saving in time, which was I possible, ‘as compared with sea voyag-1 ing. Similarly, Cairo to Baghdad andi South Africa offered potentialities which it is ‘impossible ‘to assess. The long seaboard of the two islands of New Zealand seems chosen by nature for seaplanes. The practicability of Malta as an- intermediate landing-ground was now being considered. Sykes dealt on the necessity of post ofiice co-operation; air mails were the real foundation of the whole _sy\stem‘,. on ‘which impgrial routes must be based. In order to compete successfully in commerce aircraft must - aim at completing a journey in onethird the time Itaken by other transport_

" .. AIRAND THE EMPIRE.

THE PRINCE OF VVALES’ GOOD

WORK‘

Lo’NDoN, Feb. 2.

Continuing Major - General Sykes said, excluding Anglo - Australian flights the machines‘ of the principle firms, between May Ist and December 31St Of last year flew 593,000 miles and carried 64,000 passengers, with only sixteen accidents, involving five; deaths. He expressed the’ opinion? that the future air policy of compon-§ ent parts of the Enipire would be to I keep in close touch with’ England, in matters of commerce. The policy of} the Dominlions «should be to have all small service and a large civil air fleet to meet; its own strategic needs,‘ and Empire air organisation should be able to concentrate quickly for its assistance in case of need. The President, Sir Francis Younghusband, said that the.‘ Prince of Wales was doing ‘an Empire work of the greatest importance. He had been successfully endeavouring to put various parts of the Empire on good terms with each other. He had made himself a. very precious Empire asset, and he hoped the Prince would learn from the lecture something as to how he might in future possibly go to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other parts of the Empire to open Parliaments; to India to open Durbans.

In an ‘Army Order recording the abolition of General Headquarters, in Great Britain, the Army Council express the highest lappx-eciation of the services General Haig rendered to the Empire. Never in the history of the British Empire has one otficer been charged with so momentous a responsibility, and no other British commander, excepting Wellington, brought. to victorious conclusion a campaign on the issue of which hung the very existence of the States. The Order emphasises that Haig remains on the active list, and expresses the hope that he will have a further long and suzccessfuT’career of public usefulness.