To Investigate Cape York

Ray Parer

To Investigate Cape York Landing Ground

Mr. Raymond Parer And Mr.

Geoffrey E. Hemsworth, the New Guinea airmen who, after setting out from England in the Centenary Air Race in October last, recently arrived in Mel bourne after many adventures and set backs, landed at Sydney on their return to New Guinea on February 26. Early in March their machine, still giving them trouble, was being overhauled at Mascot aerodrome.

En route to New Guinea at the end of March, Mr. Parer will visit Cape York, at the tip of Northern Queensland, and in vestigate the possibility of establishing an official landing ground there. The ground would eliminate the dangerous 400-mile water hop between Port Douglas (Queensland) and Port Moresby, stated Mr. Parer.

Apart from its assistance to aviators flying to New Guinea, the Cape York aerodrome would be of strategic value to the Commonwealth. It would also pave the way for a weekly aerial mail service between New Guinea, Papua and Queensland. The 120-mile flight across from Cape York to New Guinea, he con tinued, would take only an hour, and would be virtually accident-proof be cause there was a string of islands in the line of flight.

Possibly the reason why New Guinea airmen prefer to fly from Port Douglas to Papua is that after the flight across from Cape York, there is still some 450 miles to be flown along the Papuan coast before Port Moresby landing ground is reached.

Mr. H. S. Young, of the Malayta Co., left Sydney on a business trip to Yan dina, Solomon Islands, by the Malaita on March 9.