AIRCRAFT FACTORY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 May 1939, Page 7

AIRCRAFT FACTORY

PLANS FOR ESTABLISHMENT IN WELLINGTON. EXPANSION DEPENDENT ON DEMAND. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Plans for the establishment of a factory at Rongatai by the De HaviL land Aircraft Company were outlined on Saturday by Mr Hugh Buckingham, who arrived from England last week to organise and manage the New Zealand De Havilland Company. How rapidly and tp what ultimate extent the operations of the New Zealand company would expand could not be predicted at the moment, said Mr Buckingham. Much would depend upon the demand for aircraft. Factory plans would permit of a one, two, or three unit building—2oo x 100 ft, 300 by 100 ft, or 400 by 100 ft—depending upon decisions which would be made known within the next week or so. but whatever the decision the first unit would be 200 by 100 feet (larger than the main hangar at Rongotai). The first planes would be brought to New Zealand practically complete, said Mr Buckingham; the next batch would be partially assembled, and so on, till at the end of a year the manufacture would be carried out in New Zealand to the full extent which materials and skilled labour permitted. Certain processes of manufacture such as castings and fittings in metals of special tensilp strengths, would not be attempted in New Zealand, nor would steel pressings be made here, for presses, jigs, and specialised tools, which could run into a hundred thousand pounds for a single type of aircraft, could not be justified on a small annual output. Engines would not be made here.

In its early stages of development the Rongotai factory would employ up to one hundred men, said Mr Buckingham, depending always upon the manner in which the demand for craft opened, a matter which he could not a! the moment discuss. Naturally, in the absence of previous work of similar nature upon any considerable scale, there would be a period during which it would be difficult to obtain the necessary number of skilled men, and i certain number .of operators would have to be brought to New Zealand to carry on the first development and to act as instructors to New Zealanders. Some might remain in New Zealand permanently; others would return to the Home factory. Tiger Moths, of which a huge number were being built in Britain and large numbers in other Dominion factories, and Moth Minors would first be built at Rongotai, but apart from the assembly and manufacturing side the establishment of a New Zealand associate company would be of substantial importance to both civil aviation, by making possible a degree oi service not attainable without a local factory, and to the air arm of defence by building a reserve of high-skilled men.

Though the Rongotai Aerodrome was small, even for its present uses without regard to the certain continued increase in air traffic, and the limited landing field would impose certain restrictions upon the new company, Wellington possessed such distinct advantages that the field disadvantage was more than countered, said Mr Buckingham. “In any case,' he said, "there surely can be no doubt at all that Rongo-

tai will be greatly extended in the near future. The position of Wellington guarantees its growing impdrtance as the air centre of all New Zealand services.'