AIR SERVICES

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19890, 20 May 1936, Page 7

AIR SERVICES

PLANS FOR EXPANSION. ROUTES THROUGHOUT EMPIRE. INCREASE .IN BRITISH SUBSIDY. .{Official Wireless.) (Received May 20, i.O p.m.) RUGBY’, May 19. In moving the financial resolution in the House of Commons providing for an increase in the annual subsidy for air transport from £1,000,000 to £1,500,000 and empowering the Air Ministry to enter into long-term agreements with transport undertakings, the Under-Secretary for Air said the scheme was designed to secure, firstly, a striking acceleration of the schedules; secondly, a great increase in the

frequencies of services; and lastly, the carriage, insofar as it concerns the United Kingdom, of all first-class mail matter within the Empire by air at the rate of lid per half-ounce. As to acceleration they would work by degrees to a 24 days’ schedule to East Africa, a 44 days’ schedule to South Africa, a 0 to 7-days’ schedule to Australia, a 24-days’ schedule to India, and a 4i-days’ schedule to Singapore. As to frequencies, the services to South Africa and Singapore were already duplicated. If the whole scheme could he brought into operation as originally planned there would ultimately be nine services weekly to Egypt, five to India, three to East Africa and Singapore, and two to Australia and South Africa respectively. To New Zealand. Negotiations for the extension of the Australian service to New Zealand are in progress, and when all the services for which they are planning are brought to fruition the United Kingdom will be operating a route mileage of over 41.00 U miles, nearly twice the route mileage which any other country except tlie United States is operating to-day, and the route mileage of the Empire as a w ; hole will then exceed even that of America. Sir Philip Sassoon added that they might criticise subsidies in general, but without subsidies the Empire services would terminate forthwith. Postal contracts in place of subsidies would be no remedy, lor any contract which would enuble the Empire routes to be operated without a separate subsidy would involve tlie Post Uillce in losses such as had been incurred in the United States. That was merely a concealment of the subsidy. The British method, the adoption of which in America had been urged by an important Government commission, enabled Parliament, taxpayers, and the general public to see much more clearly where they stood. The air subsidies per lon a mile carried in the latest year for which there were figures appeared to have been about 9s in France, about 4s in Germany, and Its in Italy, while the subsidy paid to Imperial Airways was down lo something under 2s. The resolution was carried by 259 voles to 122.