Passages to Sydney

Santo Needs More Air Passages to Sydney

Prom Our Own Correspondent M ID-1948 promised to usher in, as far as the New Hebrides were con cerned, hitherto undreamed-of air mail and transport facilities.

Trans-Oceanic Airways continued its regular monthly schedule from Sydney; TRAPAS, recovered from earlier hurri cane damage, resumed its weekly, and at times bi-weekly, service from Noumea to Santo; and Qantas inaugurated its fortnightly Sydney-Santo service. Ru mours that Guinea Airways were in terested in a Noumea-Santo route were It aopeared at last that the people of the New Hebrides might reasonably look forward to regular and swift contact witn th ßut U 1949 6 5 aw a sudden and bewildering Airways service failed to materialise. At date of writing (imd March) TRAPAS had made no , fll S bt seven weeks and rumours are abroad that TOA may shortly make its last flight.

Qantas continues, with a fourteenrarely more than two people from Santo can fly direct to Sydeach fortnight. Da y' bef ?J e '£ l l^ t bookings are impossible. Should emer gencies arise, a prospective passenger to Sydney could do nothing about it He would have to anticipate his emergency to the extent of a month or six weeks ah I 6 n d a worse position still are the people of the Solomon Islands.

With a passenger list of two out of a potential fourteen from Tulagi last flight, it is conceivable that Qantas are consider ing cutting out the Santo -Tulagi hop al together. With TOA out of the field, the only link with Australia left to these people is the “Morinda.” It calls at the Solomons on every alternate outward voyage from Sydney (about once every three months). . , , ..

Vanikoro, that Cinderella of the SW Pacific, does not even enjoy this amenity.

To point the bone in any particular direction for this lack of outside com munication would be impossible. But it would seem obvious that Governments, to mention but one interest, who Profess such great interest in the welfare of their Colonies, would have some obligation to their employees who are the instruments used to spread their ideas.

EDITORIAL NOTE. At present Qantas Airways do not run an internationally re cognised service from Sydney to BSI, via the New Hebrides. The service which usually leaves Sydney on alternate Tues days for these islands, is still officially in the experimental, or survey, stage. Trans oceanic Airways have every intention of continuing their Sydney-Tulagi service via New Caledonia and New Hebrides, whatever may be said in Santo to the contrary. It is recognised that air passages from Santo are in great demand but these are allocated by the companies in accordance with the passenger poten tial of each place. Santo is allocated two seats per trip by Qantas airways, and fou ’ to Noumea and four direct to Sydney by TOA.

Mr. C. W. Anderson, who has been manager of the Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva, is to return to sea as chief steward in one of the vessels of the Union Steam ship Company, Ltd. He has been suc ceeded as manager of the Grand Pacific Hotel by Mr. G. R. Johns, formerly manager of Brent’s Private Hotel, Roto rua, New Zealand.