AIR TRANSPORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 April 1943, Page 4

AIR TRANSPORT

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT POLICV DEVELOPMENT OF WORLD-WIDE ROUTES. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION IN VIEW. OTTAWA, April 2. In the Canadian House of Commons today the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King, laid down the policy of the Canadian Government on civil air transport. He said: "Canada today is the fourth greatest military air power among the United Nations and in the post-war period Canada can make an equally great contribution to civilian air transport. Canada has a geographical position that will enable it to plan an important part in the development of international air transport routes. The problems of international air transport are, of course, immense and cannot be solved by one country. We are determined, however, that our influence on the course of events will be in the direction of international co-operation and collaboration. The Canadian Government is in complete agreement with the United Kingdom Government ‘that some form of international collaboration will be essential if air transport is to be developed in the interests of mankind as a whole, trade served, international understanding fostered, and international security gained.’ “Summed up, the policy provides that the Government has seen no good reason for changing its policy that Trans-Canada Air Lines is the sole Canadian agency which may operate international air services within Canada. Trans-Canada Air Lines, the wholly Government owned company, will continue to operate all the trans-contin-ental systems and such other services of a main line character, as may from time to time be designated by the Government. Competition between air services over the same route will not be permitted whether between a pub-licly-owned service and a privatelyowned service, or between two pri-vately-owned services. There will remain a large field for development of air transport in which private Canadian companies may participate and, while preventing duplication of services, the Government will continue to encourage private companies to. develop services as traffic possibilities may indicate. “In order to prepare for forthcoming international negotiations on air transport the Government is studying carefully problems which will have to be dealt with in the negotiations. The Canadian Government strongly _ favours a policy of international collaboration and co-operation in air transport and is prepared to support in international negotiations whatever international air transport policy can be demonstrated as being the best calculated but also our over-riding interest is in the establishment of an international order which will prevent the outbreak of another world war.”