Turned Down?

New Guinea Plan To Use Planes Convertible to Bombers

Contributed THE Australian Minister for Aviation (Mr. Thorby) could not see his way to help the Parer brothers in their proposal to use in New Guinea convert ible bombing planes for commercial flv ing.

Kevin Parer, who has a private flying service between Wewak and Butheim, and his brother Ray, one-time hero of Australian aviation, now flying chiefly to and from his mine, approached Mr.

W. M. Hughes with a project to sub stitute a convertible bombing plane for a commercial plane they proposed to pur chase for their private enterprises, if the Government would supplv the differ ence in price.

It was believed by Kevin Parer that his example would be followed by other pilots and private flyers in New Guinea, who thus would form a readily available defence unit in time of need, at a mini mum of cost to the Government.

Mr. Hughes favoured the suggestion and put it before Mr. Thorby. Mr. Thorby found that insufficient funds were avail able for this outlay. Although he agreed that there were advantages in such a type of defence, it would be impossible to subsidise one or two flyers to this ex tent “unless the same favour could be extended to all”.

It is interesting to note on which side Mr. Thorby considers the favour!

Editorial Note. —The reply is typical of Mr. Thorby. This gentleman, by his arro gance, and his apparent inability to visu alise Australia’s real problems, and to see any viewpoint other than his own, has made himself the most disliked politician who ever held a Federal portfolio. New Guinea airmen should not be discouraged.

Mr. Thorby will not last much longer, and probably his place will be taken by some one who will appreciate the value of having, in New Guinea, a fleet of com mercial planes quickly convertible to bombers in time of national need.