Cocos Is.

Preparing The

New Airport

THE Australian Government is making steady progress with its plan for the construction of a first-class airfield on one of the Cocos Islands, which lies far out in the Indian Ocean, about equi distant from the north-west tip of Australia and the south-west tip of Java.

Cocos will be a very important station on the new air route, via the Indian Ocean and East Africa, which may take the place of the now disturbed Indonesia - India- Middle East section of the regular airways track between Australia and Europe.

Large teams of men are now con structing the airfield, and the necessary buildings. The airport will be ready in six months.

During November, a 40-tons air sea rescue launch arrived at Cocos, as part of the equipment there, after a 40-days voyage from Aus tralia. About the same time, a large landing-craft was unloaded from ss Dongala.

The Ruler

John Clunies Ross (known as Clunies Ross V, he governs the little group acquired by his great-great grandfather) has now settled down in Cocos with his young bride, whom he met while he was studying colonial development at Oxford (she was studying occupational ther aphy.) She was Miss Daphne Par kinson, daughter of a wealthy Lan cashire manufacturer, The English newspapers, describ ing the “romance,” said the “queen of the Cocos Islands” would see a ship perhaps only twice a year. But Cocos now is an Australian Terri tory, and from July next Mr. and Mrs. Clunies Ross will be living be side one of the world’s busy trans ocean airports.