Britain, America, and Airways
pp. 5-6 · Read in the full issue
in the Pacific
J)EVELOPMENTS during the month indicate that possibly in 1936 — trans-Pacific air transport services will be established connecting Hawaii and the Philippines in the North Pacific, and Hawaii and New Zealand, in the South Pacific.
The moving spirit in this development is an enterprising and very active American company called Pan-American Airways, which already has established a service between ’Frisco and Hawaii; has formed landing-stations on Midway, Wake and Guam Islands, in readiness for the North Pacific service which will connect Hawaii and the Philippines; and has surveyed various islands (notably Palmyra Howland, Baker, Jarvis) in the Central Pacific with a view to preparing landing-stations for the Hawaii-New Zealand service.
Pan-American Airways, in October, formally asked the New Zealand Government if it would approve of a weekly air-mail service between Hawaii and Auckland. New Zealand, naturally, was
interested; but, first, it asked the Home Government what it thought about the matter. mjj started something Britain had A been watch i n g American activities in the Pacifi not with hostility, but with a certain amount of uneasiness. Behind the charter on which Imperial Airways operates there is a great and sound conception—namely, that it is vital to the sa f ety Q f t h e Empire that the airways wh i c h gi ve service to the Empire shall
be British-controlled. Imperial Airways’
liners now mn out from London to every i mpor tant section of the Empire, except Canada and New Zealand. It was obvious to anyone who has watched the th ’ of the t British or g an i sa tion the past decade, that the next . T , extension would bring in New Zealand the .f aC J fic But a service embracing 2000-miles hops over empty ocean is not arL eas y thing t 0 visualise or plan.
Into this picture, while Imperial Airways still is unready, has come Pan-
American Airways; and it created a pretty problem for British diplomacy.
British public opinion, both in Britain and throughout the Empire, is over whelmingly friendly to America. The Americans are our liveliest competitors in practically every field of human en deavour, but we do not dislike them on that account. On the contrary, we recog nise that, so long as the two great sections of the Anglo-Saxon race keep reasonably close together, following the same humanitarian ideals, the peace of the world, and national progress and indivi dual liberty, will be protected. We fight like tom-cats when we meet en masse— “Doughboys” versus “Diggers” in France in 1918; Union Line versus Matson Line in the Pacific in 1935, for example—but we have the most sincere respect and admiration for each other.
Conditions in the Pacific present us with a typical Anglo-American problem.
There are, roughly, four sides to the Pacific. The United States, with Canada, dominates one; British Dominions (Aus tralia and New Zealand) dominate another; the South American countries, which do not count, represent another side; and the Empire of Japan, which counts very much, completes the square.
There is the problem, as plain and
embarrassing as any problem well could be: Who is to dominate the Pacific?
S° far as British public is concerned, there is not the slightest desire to compete with America for domination in the Pacific. The Imperial Government will do nothing to irritate American public opinion. Dominions feeling to wards America is completely happy. If all the Canadians were transported to Mars, and Canada were filled up with Australians and New Zealanders, not a stick or stone need be shifted along the U.S,A.-Canadian frontier. It would remain, as it is today, an unprotected, imaginary line. We trust the Americans and, in spite of trouble-making Hearsts and sundry wild-mouthed demagogues, we believe that the Americans trust us.
But, in this matter of Pacific influence and balance of power, there is one con sideration paramount in every British mind, and that is the need for the protection and conservation of the Empire. The feeling is stronger today than ever before in history; and that is because the British hate war, and recognise that, in a restless, jealous, snarling world, their only hope of safety lies in Imperial unity and readiness.
Airways, supplementing and comple
menting sea-ways, are vital to inter- Dominions communications and defences.
Dare we surrender the Pacific link of the Imperial airways chain to any non- British nation, even to the friendly Americans ?
With these considerations in mind, let us return to Pan-American Airways and New Zealand, and observe the extremely interesting thing that has happened. It is all summed up in these news messages from London, which were published early in November in the Australian newspapers: New Zealand’s acceptance of the offer of Pan-American Airways to provide a weekly service between San Francisco and Auckland is being discussed in Lon don. There has been no official comment, but it is understood that the British Gov ernment intends immediately to seek from America reciprocal rights for the use of American flying-boat bases in the Pacific, in the event of a British flying-boat service being established. It is recognised that New Zealand is fully entitled to make her own arrangements with Pan-Ameri can Airways, but there is some appre hension lest the aerial counterpart of the situation in respect to the Matson line of steamships (subsidised) should arise.
United States circles in London are much interested in New Zealand’s deal with Pan-American Airways, as they are aware that Great Britain had re cently urged New Zealand to delay arrangements pending a settlement of certain aspects of the 1937 Imperial scheme.
An American authority points out that Pan-American Airways, unlike Imperial
Airways, is not connected with the Gov ernment, and is at liberty to make its own contracts abroad, but obviously the development of the trans-Pacific service must introduce international considera tions, and therefore must become the subject of political discussion between Great Britain, New Zealand and United States.
Pan-American Airways is agreeable to the reciprocal proposal insisted upon by the New Zealand Government, viz., that British aircraft should have the right to use American territory if a British Pacific service is established. Confirmation is now awaited from the American Govern ment.
Simultaneously with the news of Pan- American Airways tentative reciprocal agreement with New Zealand for a trans pacific service whereby British aircraft would be entitled to use American islands.
Imperial Airways announces:—“British air transport welcomes the opportunity of co-operating with the United States, which has special interests in the Pacific.
It is hoped that in due course a British trans-Pacific service will operate in close co-operation with Pan-American Airways.
It is considered probable that a British service will operate the route from Van couver to New Zealand and Australia, and that United States ’planes will fly to the Philippines. Naturally it is our aim to establish an entirely British service round the world,”
This is the first official intimation of British intentions in the Pacific. The fact that the Americans are likely to have a substantial start is not regarded as an obstacle to an amicable division of the services.