AIR MAIL BASE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 August 1938, Page 7

AIR MAIL BASE

FACILITIES IN WELLINGTON

ACTION BY HARBOUR BOARD. EVANS BAY POSSIBILITIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) . WELLINGTON, This Day. Following on the Prime Minister’s announcement that Wellington is to be one of the terminals of the. trans-Tas-man air mail service, immediate steps are to be taken by the Wellington Harbour Board to ascertain what facilities are required for flying-boats using the port. A committee consisting of the chairman, Mr C. M. Turrell, the general manager, and the engineer, is to wait upon the authorities responsible for making a decision regarding terminal points in New Zealand. A motion to this effect, moved by Mr J. W. Andrews, was carried at the monthly meeting of the board last night, when members stressed the natural advantages of Wellington as a terminal for the trans-Tasman air service. It was said that Wellington was more favourably situated than any other part of the Dominion for the rapid distribution of mails, and that the port would provide a better service for the people of New Zealand as a whole.

Official circles in Wellington yesterday had no information to give about the probable location of the base, but it is understood to be extremely likely that the area in Evans Bay where the Centaurus was moored last New Year will be chosen.

The suitability of Evans Bay as a base for flying-boats was the subject of favourable comment by Captain J. W. Burgess, commander of the Centaurus, when the flying-boat was in Wellington. The Evans Bay site was well tested when the Centaurus returned to Wellington from Dunedin early in January. During the' morning of her arrival, and after she had moored at Evans Bay, instruments on the flyingboat recorded that the wind reached a force up to 60 miles an hour. The mooring proved easily capable of giving security to the heavy machine, which rode comfortably even when the wind whs at its highest. Recently a special committee was set up by the Government to report on the suitability of Wellington harbour as a base. It is understood that up to yesterday afternoon the committee’s report had not been considered by the Minister of Defence, and for that reason •non of the recommendations contained in the report were available for publication. Mr John Wood, Under-Secre-tary, Public Works Department, is chairman of the committee.