Air Companies To

Protest

Bureaucrats Specify Dangerous Cape York Route To Dodge 450 Miles Water-Hop

A VIATION interests are preparing their tenders (which close on March 31) for the new Sydney—New Guinea air service, but present indications are that the conditions imposed by the Federal Government are viewed by prac tical airmen with no enthusiasm.

The trouble lies in the route which has been stipulated—namely, up the eastern coast of Australia to Cape York, across to Western Papua and thence across the Central Papua jungles and the Central New Guinea mountains to Wau.

This route has been stubbornly insisted upon by the Federal authority, as against the usual route, by which aeroplanes leave the Australian coast near Cook town and hop off across 450 miles of open sea to the coast of Papua near Port Moresby.

This latter route represents an almost straight line from Sydney to Wau and Lae, taking in Port Moresby. But for some reason the civil aviation gentlemen in Australia got an attack of the horrors whenever they contemplated that water hop, and so they plan to send the mail carrying aeroplanes round by Cape York.

They apparently are quite ignorant of the prevailing weather conditions be tween Cape York and Wau, otherwise they would have preferred the direct route and the water-hop. From Cape York across Torres Strait and through western and central Papua to Wau there are very few emergency landing-grounds; little or no white settlement; incredible stretches of wild tropical jungle; and a rainfall belt where the rain registration is phenomenal. Any man who knows the country will say that the Cape York — Western Papua route, with its prevailing misty and rainy weather, and its absence of landing grounds, is much more dan gerous for aeroplanes, than the direct route via Cooktown and Port Moresby.

Every aeroplane of any size, which has flown between Australia and New Guinea, has used the direct route and the water hop without accident. The Anglo-Austra lian airmail machines have been flying over a wider expanse of sea between Timor and Darwin for a long time now, without mishap.

Indications are that prospective ten derers for the Sydney—New Guinea air mail service will protest very strongly against the route which the Federal Government is trying to force upon them.

The people of Papua (who, of course, will get no direct benefit from the ser vice as planned by the Federal Govern ment) are also making a strong protest.

Mr. C. T. Wurth, Commissioner for

Lands in Papua, accompanied by Mrs.

and Miss Wurth, arrived in Australia by the Macdhui in January.