Have an Air-Service Now'’

Who Will Take The Initiative?

New Hebrides “Could Have an Air-Service Now'’

I If the traffic is offering, there is no reason why the New Hebrides hould not have an interim flying-boat service pending the establishment of irfields and commencement of land-plane services.

HIS was stated in October by Captain Middlemiss, officer in Icharge of Ansett Airways Pty. j.’s Flying Boat Division, dl that is required, said Captain fldlemiss, is that some live agent ange the bookings and freight.

I company will make a charter ht at the usual charter rates, at r time, with a flying boat. |antas withdrew flying-boats from Islands services in June this year, isince then the New Hebrides I been without an air-service, is has caused a great deal of in venience to residents of the Hides, and PIM has received ny letters of complaint. [any Hebrides residents appear jelieve that Qantas is at fault — le have gone so far as to state I this airline withdrew its fly boats out of “spite” or “in retali m.” This is plainly ridiculous — ■Condominium government had Die warning that flying-boats e to be withdrawn on a certain i, and it did little or nothing to the disused war-time airstrips order for land-planes. Latest >rts indicate that the chosen trips at Vila and Santo are still within measurable distance of ig up to Civil Aviation require its. )me Hebrides residents believe ; Australian Department of Civil ition experts chose the wrong trips for reconditioning; others k that as the demands of the tralian department carry so h weight, the Department itself lid go ahead and recondition the ;rips. is, in fact, true that in the ids around Australia, where air ices are vital, the Department mes an importance rarely rded a government instrument- I It is a fact, also, that some the high-handed methods of s of the servants of the Depart t have not always been popular I the Islands public. However, ar as the disputed airstrips in New Hebrides are concerned, Department is morally and

Uy right.

1 pointed out in October PIM, 5 is a distinct difference between qualifications necessary for an drome used for scheduled, in ational passenger services, and used for charter flights which ate only as and when circum ces permit.

The job of providing suitable aero dromes in the New Hebrides is the responsibility of the Condominium government—and no one else.

Another charge against Qantas is that they ran all other competition out of the skies and then abandoned the Condominium to its fate. In view of the Ansett offer, however, it now appears that there is an alternative to the present state of stalemate. The planes are avail

i—but the initiative will have to ne from the Hebrides.

Insett’S Pacific Cruises

[R GORDON TAYLOR will soon have a rival in running air Itours to the Islands and NZ. inset t Airways will commence ing-boat tours to New Zealand [summer, and expect to be makair tours in 1956.

I December, 1955, the company ■make two charter flights from lington to the Chatham Islands ■the New Zealand Government. ■ Chathams have been without [air service since TEAL disposed (best of its flying-boats.

■ Excitement At Vila

IE somewhat unexpected arrival of a French Leo-45 twin-engined photographic survey aircraft fed excitement at Vila on Oc ;r 8. dvice was received of the air :t’s approach from Noumea only pinutes in advance of its arrival.

Public Works Department team [rushed from town four miles [to Bauer Airfield, long unused, Bear it of various obstructions, Iding a boundary fence which ses the strip dividing two local lations. le aircraft, which landed safely, commanded by M. Louis Fabre, lhad arrived to continue Gov bent aerial survey work.