Trans-Pacific

Airmail

P.A.A. to Call at Noumea — Contract Signed

IT is officially announced that an agree ment between the Government of New Caledonia and Pan American Airways, for a period of three years, was signed in the last week of December.

P.A.A. have undertaken that their sea planes, flying between America and Aus tralia, on a minimum service of two re turn voyages per month, will call regu larly at Noumea. The service will oper ate before June 30, 1939.

The French authorities have given con siderable inducements to P.A.A. They are now providing Nouville (the old mili tary and convict establishment near Noumea) with electric light and fresh water; material for a radio station, sup plied free by the French Air Ministry, was shipped from Marseilles by the “Viile de Strasbourg” on January 23; and Nouville, in a few months, will be con verted into a first-class seaplane station, with meteorological and radio services.

There is no indication of whether P.A.A. intend to abandon the New Zea land route; or whether they now are planning two alternative routes the seaplane to run Hawaii-Canton Is.-Suva- Auckland, and return, one week; and Hawaii-Canton Is.-Noumea-Sydney and return, in the following week.

It looks as if P.A.A. and the French Government, in consultation, have stolen a march on the leisurely British.

Other details on page 8.

Mr. E. W. P. Chinnery

IT is reported from Melbourne that Mr. E. W. P. Chinnery, head of Native Affairs in New Guinea, probably will be appointed Director of the new Aus tralian Department of Native Affairs (created for the care of the Australian aborigines). The salary mentioned is £l2OO per annum.

The belief is held, in Papua and New Guinea, that the new Department (as part of the amalgamation plan) will have supervision over native affairs in those Territories also. Comment is unfavour able. It is argued that control of native affairs is essentially a job for the man on the spot—that Canberra control must mean bungling and waste.