Cocos Likes its
p. 27 · Read in the full issue
Isolation Hold Up in Plans for Australia- Africa Air Route
PLANS to establish an air service be tween Australia and South Africa are held up until such time as the Commonwealth government can pur chase sufficient land for an air field from the Clunies Ross family of Cocos Islands.
The Clunies Ross family, which has a perpetual grant of the Group, is reluc tant to allow the purchase of the land for fear it will mean the end of the iso lation which they now enjoy. On the other hand, the Australia-South Africa service cannot function until there are landing facilities on either Home or Direc tion Island —the two chief islands of the group of 20 small coral islands.
The Australian Minister for Civil Avia tion says that he “thinks the difficulties can be overcome.”