DEVELOPMENT OF FLYING.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1918, Page 5

DEVELOPMENT OF FLYING.

TRAVEL IN THE FUTURE. MAILS IN NEW ZEALAND. London, Sept. 13. There were some interesting speeches at a 'luncheon at the Automobile Club other,day, at which Mr Handley Page, the designer of the famous bombing aeroplane which bears hi 3 name, made a lew suggestions as to the likely development of commercial aviation. Mr Handley Page said before the wasr mails took 72 hours between London and Constantinople; now the journey can be done under 20 ''hours, Rome can be teached in 12-J hours, instead of 42, and Marseilles in eight instead of 23. He was convinced that an 800-inile service could be run at a' profit, both for mails and passengers, at a rate little in excess of that now in force, a medium-Sized Machine being used to make rtotl-stop flights of 400 miles. They would have 200-horse power engines, and would carry 4!<M)]b of revenue-earning load, besides the pilot and mechanic and petrol. A fICO-horse power machine could carry comfortably six passengers, totalling OOOlbs, and 35001b of postal matter and merchandise, and the passengers could be carried at Is per mile per 800 miles, or 2ld per mile. On that basis the charge for letters would be less than a 3d an ounce, and that would Include the handling of mails. America Would become within reach in a day and ft-half, and i would he as close as Manchester was at the end of the eighteenth century. Twenty-four machines running a minimum' service of six machines each way per day could be provided for at a capital of under .-6500.000, and at an annual cost of under £300,000. The eost per ton zwile would be 20M, and per passenger mile 1-3 - ..

Sir Joseph Ward said the development of flying during the past two years has been phenomenal. Aeroplanes and destroyers for checking submarines were going to have much greater say in the war than was contemplated long after the war had started, and he thought that a great improvement in flying ma- i chines would still be made which Would i result in bringing them into practical us? for commercial purposes. That would certainly be so for the carrying of mails after the war. Before leaving New Zealand, hft had indicated that the Postal .Department would carry its mail 3 to various points through the air as soon as the, war was over. He was now more firm than even in that conviction, i He had no doubt that very shortly the i masters of the air would be travelling ! from England to America with comparative safety. That distance was more than 3000 miles. It could readily bo understood by' those familiar with the geographical conditions of New Zealand that it would be a comparatively easy '.natter to carry mails between the principal centres, dropping bags at towns by the way—a thing that a few years ago would have, been considered impossible. Ho had already seen machines in England that could carry three, or four tons j of mails and take thorn over the distance from Auckland to Wellington in' less- than two hours, and to Dtmedin and Invercargill in proportion. He was sat- j isfied it was well within the possibilities of the Department to carry mails by aeroplanes, and he doubted very much whether the cost, in the long run would he any greater than wa! being paid for similar services now. At all events, the whole matter Would be gone into with a view to New Zealand being up-to-date, as it has been in all its pu'Mic utility services. He had retained full information from General Sykes, the head of the British Aviation Department, and this would bo fully gone into and considered on his return to New Zealand. Tn conclusion, ,Sir Joseph Ward remarked that when once it is demonstrated that the distance between England and Amarics covtld safelr be covered by aeroplane if became quite practicable to make the journey out to New Zealand. There would, of course, be special touching points between British Columbia and New Zealand—possibly Hawaii and Fiji—which would make the span not nearly so long as the Atlantic. The question of an aerial navigation would, he more difficult where they • %ad- to pick up small islands instead of 'a* large continent, hut he had" no doubt -that scientific men would riiake the !te&ss|*p: with