TASMAN AIR SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 January 1939, Page 5

TASMAN AIR SERVICE

STATEMENT BY MR SAVAGE

NO REASON KNOWN FOR DELAY UNTIL SEPTEMBER. PREPARATIONS IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The New Zealand Government is not aware of any substantial reason for the Tasman airmail service not being inaugurated before September. This was indicated by the Prime Minister. Mr Savage, when asked to comment in an interview yesterday on the statement by the Australian Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Thorby, that there was little likelihood of the service commencing before September or October. It seemed unlikely, Mr Thorby said, that the ground organisation, including radio and meteorological services, could be fully installed and tested before that time. “I have been hoping that the service would be established long before then,’’ Mr Savage said. "I am not aware of any substantial reason for holding it up till then. I was under the impression that the service would be established early in the new year, rather than toward the end of it.” NEW ZEALAND GOING AHEAD. Tne Postmaster-General, Mr Jones, when Mr Thorby’s statement was referred to him, said he was not in a position to say when the service would operate.

“It will depend on when all the necessary equipment has been provided, both in Auckland and in Australia,” Mr Jones said. “If Mr Thorby thinks that they will not be ready in Australia till September or October, then the service may not be operated till then. “We in New Zealand are going ahead and hope to be ready some time before that. However, whatever country takes the longer in getting ready for the service, that country yill determine when the service can be operated.”

Preparations in New Zealand were being pushed on as rapidly as possible. Attention was being given to the provision of the necessary equipment, radio and meteorological services, and to the base in Auckland. The Minister said he did not think that there would be any delay as far as New Zealand was concerned, but no matter how soon the Dominion was prepared, the service could not be inaugurated till Australia also was ready. SURVEY AND TEST FLIGHTS. Before the commencement of the service, there would be survey and test flights over the route. All the necessary equipment would have to be tested most thoroughly'before schedule running was begun, and, therefore, the long-range flying-boats would probably traverse the route several times before the dates mentioned by Mr Thorby. Two of the Tasman liners are to be fully equipped with meteorological recorders as a- weather aid to flyingboats engaged in the Tasman service, according to a statement by the Secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr E. Marsden.

These developments are part of the policy adopted by the New Zealand and Commonwealth Governments to give full aid to all aircraft. Observing stations will be located on the Wanganella and Awatea, which are regularly engaged on the Tasman crossing, to make weather observations along the flying routes between Australia and New Zealand. 1 WEATHER FORECASTING. These observations will supply such a vast additional field of information for local requirements that, according to Dr Marsden, a considerable further improvement in the Dominion forecasting service can be expected. In addition to these floating observations, other land forecasting and observing centres will be established here and inAustralia at shore points, to co-operate with the sea stations in providing adequate information for the flying-boats. The New Zealand Government itself has provided the equipment for the Awatea and the Waftganella, in co-op-eration with the Commonwealth Government, Dr Marsden said. The Commonwealth was providing an additional service by arranging for a pilot to accompany one of the vessels as a balloon observer. He was to release meteorological balloons from the steamer and keep in touch with other observational officials working in conjunction, as part of the general scheme. Dr Marsden said that Dr M. A. S. Barnett had just returned from Australia, where he had attended a conference at which the details of the new scheme were discussed. As chief of the aviation section of the Meteorological Office it has been Dr Barnett’s task to compile the necessary arrangements. The equipment on the two trans-Tas-man vessels would be far superior to that which had been utilised for Tasman observations in the past. From this alone it was expected that observations would enable a greatly improved general observational and forecasting service for the Dominion itself.

DELEGATES RETURN. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. New Zealand delegates returned yesterday to Wellington by the Awatea from a conference in Sydney of Dominion and Commonwealth Government representatives to discuss arrangements for the trans-Tasman air service. They were Group -Captain T. M. Wilkes, Controller of Civil Aviation, and Mr H. R. Green, radio engineer of the Post and Telegraph Department. Dr M. A. F. Barnett, of the Meteorological Office, returned previously. Group Captain Wilkes said that radio and meteorology had been the main subjects of discussion. A report had been prepared and handed to the Governments of both countries. I! was already in the hands of the New Zealand Government.