Rnzaf Makes More

Mercy Flights

In Fiji Group

From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, March 20.

FOURTEEN men of Moala, Lau, were swept away in a cance and two small boats when the craft were caught in an exceptionally strong current on March 6. All were found to have landed safely at Totoya when an RNZAF Catalina search-plane visited the island on March 12.

On the previous day, a Catalina had made a mercy flight to Taveuni to bring a complicated Fijian maternity case to the CWM Hospital at Suva.

On March 13, an RAF Sunderland, at tached to the RNZAF at Laucala Bay, went in search of a Fijian who, with three children, had been missing in a small boat from Lautoka for more than a week.

A launch containing a policeman and six other men had set out to search for the missing party and had gone missing it self. Both the missing parties were found sheltering at the island of Malololailai.

On March 15 a plane searched for a launch containing 30 Indians which left Labasa several days previously and failed to arrive at Ellington, where the pas sengers were to have landed to travel by road to Ba and Lautoka. (The launch later arrived safely at Ellington).

According to Mr. C. Merillon, who ar rived in Brisbane recently by Air France Skymaster, the Pacific service of Air France (from Paris to Noumea) may be extended shortly to New Zealand, Tahiti, and the New Hebrides. Mr. Merillon has been in Saigon for the company for the past 21 years.