G'Air Hope to Fly Again in

NG

Prom Our Own Correspondent Lae, October 1.

GUINEA Airways, who put New Guinea on the map away back in the '2o’s by opening up the Morobe goldfield, hope to recommence operations in New Guinea at an early date.

Mr. “Bunny” Hammond has been liv ing in Lae since early this year, watch ing GA interests, but prolonged negotia tions with the Australian Department of Civil Aviation have held up their plans for re-establishment. Only planes of a certain type are acceptable to the De partment, since Australia became party to the international airways organisa tion which fixes standards for all air craft, airfields, etc.

It is expected that planes of the ap proved type will be forthcoming shortly and GA will then commence business.

The Junkers and Ford machines which they operated before the war are now no more. Those that reached the Aus tralian mainland when the Japanese in vaded the Territory were taken over by the RAAF and, it is alleged, recently converted to scrap.

TERRITORIANS will be glad to see the return of the old firm that did so much to open up the Mandated Ter ritory—and not entirely for sentimental reasons. Passenger rates on international airways are prohibitive at present, and competition might bring them down. The fare from Lae to Wewak about 325 miles airline—is £4O return. The fare from Lae to Madang, a distance of about 150 miles, is £lO single. These fares are approximately three times greater than those prevailing on the mainland of Aus tralia —which seems excessive, even allowing for greater maintenance costs

and greater climatic and geographical hazards.

Mandated Airlines is the only company operating internal airlines at present.

With headquarters at Lae, they run ser vices to Wewak, via Madang, and to Wau and the Ramu. They use Dragon planes.

Qantas Airways also intend ultimately to operate internal passenger and freight planes in the Territory, but a date for the commencement of this service is so far indefinite.

The greatest aerial transport need in the Territory to-day is an extension of the Qantas Australian-New Guinea ser vice to Rabaul. Qantas is prepared to do this, but the Rabaul drome is not yet up to the requirements of the Depart ment of Civil Aviation; and the date when something will be done to remedy this and whose job it is, are included among those dark mysteries which one soon learns to accept without question in this country.

“Winkin’,” “Blinkin’” and “Nod” left Brisbane for New Guinea by the “Mon toro” on September 7. They are donkeys, and will be used by the London Mission ary Society, at Moru Mission, to carry medical supplies in the Owen Stanleys.

But for the waterside strike, the animals would have left by the “Montoro” in July.

A delegation from the Methodist Church in Australia, led by Rev. H. G.

Secomb (secretary-general of the Metho dist Conference) and Rev. A. R. Gar diner (general secretary, Methodist Over seas Mission) were given a warm welcome in Suva on August 25, when over 1,000 persons crowded into the Jubilee Church.

Rev. W. Green, chairman of the Metho dist Mission in Fiji, conducted the) service. The proceedings were in English and Fijian. The Fijian inter preter was Ratu Alipat# Naulivou, of the Public Relations Office.