Crossroads

Ngz Aviation

At The

G. N. Roberts, CBE, AFC, a director of TEAL. ensed from the “New Zealand Herald”

Within the foreseeable future

0 to 15 years—air passengers be traversing the world at

:ds from 1,200 to 1,800 mph.

the jet age finally ended New Zealand’s isolation, then the rsonic era will force upon us national and trade respon ses undreamed of 25 years ago race is always to the swift, and ust ever be remembered that if Zealand is being forced into r relationship with the rest of world, then the same applies her nations, large and small, is decade will perhaps appear ew Zealand history as a period a great trade revolution took ne are the days of bulk pur of our exports. Customers

becoming more selective, and

etition is keener, wn through history an essential le to trade has been lines of lunication. An essential in nt of the twentieth century is speed in negotiating business speed in getting goods to the markets.

Bulk Freight

in commerce the aeroplane is ing the ship and other forms

■face transport.

us not be Jed into believing nr transport will be confined carriage of the salesmen and gotiators. The day is not far when the bulk carriage of sed goods by air will be an ; d part of our economy, re are some who believe NZ leave the carriage of goods to other nations to do • What a defeatist outlook, lacking in vision! the other hand, fortunately, ire those who believe that if ant anything done well, and t your own particular require do it yourself. 5 significant that the more sive nations in the world are those that have fostered

civil aviation to the maximum possible.

One accepts big Powers such as the United States, Britain, France and Russia as being aggressively air-minded, but of greater significance and example to New Zealand is the prestige enjoyed by such relatively small nations as Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia.

To a great extent, the secret of their success is that they have developed, and continue to control, their own external lines of air communication.

Surely there is a moral for New

Zealand in these examples. For the sake of trade and our economy generally, New Zealand must retain under her direct control, lines of external air communication to the prudent limit of her resources.

It may be that our resources dictate the Pacific Basin as the geographical limit of our operations at present, but there is no reason why, in the ultimate, New Zealand airlines should not encompass the world.

This need not all be done alone, because we are fortunate in being part of a Commonwealth of Nations. (Gver)

:ially and culturally, New nd stands to gain more than nations from the fostering of ggressive aviation policy, relation to the great land we are among the most ed people on the face of the ; therefore our need for quick of communication is the ir. lines also have a real respon y to ensure that, as soon as mic circumstances permit, air is brought still more within of the average citizen. ; real issue at stake in the of aviation today is the le to determine which nation ?roup of nations will be nnia” of the twentieth century, is inconceivable to think that Zealand, in addition to self >t and her own economic and betterment, is not prepared ke the broader international aint and play her part in assist he Commonwealth and the rn World as a whole towards dominant in air power, must not be complacent, from an economic point of t would be nice to introduce onic jets at a time to suit 'es, we may not be left to line the time. ;ia may choose the time to a supersonic passenger jet ve on the world and set the as indeed she has done in the f astronautics. year 1961 finds New Zealand ; crossroads of international n. are at this time to set a bold jsive policy based on national iternational intent might well an us for many, many years ag economically, socially and ily more dependent on other than we are now.