Air Service To Vella Lavella

Suggestion

Honiara, Feb. 1.

EUROPEAN residents of the Western Solomons have for a long time felt isolated and at a disadvantage com pared with people in the Russell Islands and Guadalcanal.

Mail and cargo for the West is unloaded from ships and aircraft at Honiara and is then trans-shipped by small vessels to its destination, with some unavoidable delay.

The Methodist Mission has now sug gested to the BSIP Government that the Mission make serviceable a war-time airstrip three-quarters of a mile long at Bilua on Vella Lavella, where the Mission has its headquarters. The idea is that Qantas aircraft could call there on their normal fortnightly run from Lae to Honiara and unload Western mail and freight. , As soon as loading and unloading facilities are at Gizo, the Government Station and main port in the West, it is expected that overseas copra ships will call there. Until then, overseas vessels will have to discharge and load all cargo at Honiara and the Russells as at present.