N.G. Air-Mail

Contract for Weekly Service Goes To Carpenter & Co.

■THE contract to operate the new, * weekly, air-mail service between Sydney and Rabaul (New Guinea), via Brisbane, Cooktown, Port Moresby, Wau, and Salamaua, for five years, was let by the Australian Government on June 8 to Messrs. W. R. Carpenter and Co. Ltd.

The unsuccessful tenderers were Guinea Airways Ltd., Australia-New Guinea Airlines Ltd., and Southern Airlines and Freighters Ltd.

Messrs. Carpenter have ordered three De Havilland 868 machines from Britain.

They will be assembled at Mascot, Sydney, in time to commence the service in January, 1938. They are bi-planes; they are easily handled and housed; each has four engines, and can fly on two out of the four; each will be equipped with two-way radio equipment; each will carry about 15 passengers: and the fare will be about the same as the first-class steamer fare.

Sydney to Cooktown will be one day’s flight; Cooktown to Port Moresby, Sala maua and Rabaul the second day’s flight.

Cooktown aerodrome is fo be enlarged, to accommodate these machines. The Federal authority has promised to put in directional wireless at Cooktown and Rabaul, and to create an efficient meteor logical service.

The total subsidy to be provided by the Government is £65,572 —an average of £13,000 per annum.

The service will be operated by Messrs.

Carpenter and Co. —not by Mandated Air lines, which is the firm’s local operating company in New Guinea. The chief pilot of Mandated Airlines, Mr. R. 0. Mant, will be the flying superintendent of the new service.

The DH 868 machines are an improved model of the machines which have given such good service on the Darwin-Singa pore section of the Australia-London route.