AIR TRANSPORT NEWS
Page 55
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STRONG POSITION OF IMPERIAL AIRWAYS.
THE 10th annual report of Imperial Airways, Ltd., the 6-per-cent. dividend, and, above all, the speech of the chairman, Sir Eric Geddes, at the annual meeting on November 5, give cause for satisfaction in the state of
our Imperial air services. They also show up the false and unfairly critical statements which have appeared in sections of the Press during the past two weeks.
Without anticipating further Government help, the company stands well prepared to meet competition on the Imperial routes. The 8i-day schedule between London and Singapore compares with the Dutch schedule of seven days in summer and nine in winter; yet our machines are more comfortable and commodious than theirs. Our company is planning a future seven-day or 7,1-day schedule 10 Melbourne.
As this paper has pointed out, a different Government policy has beenneeded for some time, because of artificially stimulated international competition, but, despite this, our operating company's next generation of machines will cruise at about 150 /II .p h .—and will be comfortable enough for continued night flying.
Moreover, Imperial Airways has four far bigger machines on order, one for the New York-Bermuda line. On our Cape route, and probably on our Eastern route, the frequency of service is to be doubled. The remarkable progress made under the present Government policy is the outstanding feature of the report—and a change of policy may be heard of before long. Our associated journal, The Aeroplane, deals fully with this matter in its issue dated November 7.
As regards internal lines,' Sir Eric Geddes said on Monday that amalgamations in transport are dictated by economic and technical demands. This, we would add, does not mean that independents need fear eclipse.
YORK SEEKS COMPULSORY POWERS.
YORK Corporation's application for compulsory powers to purchase land for an aerodrome was the subject of an Air Ministry inquiry at York on October 24. Pressure of space prevented us from dealing with the matter in last week's issue. The suggested site is in the parishes of Ra.wcliffe and Clifton Without,
Mr. Reginald Anderson, the town clerk, said that after the events of the past few days little was needed to justify the principle of the proposal. The site was eminently suitable, and the engineer's estimate for carrying out the immediately necessary work was .£4,000.
Mr. F. W. Spurr, the city engineer, said the total area was 162.5 acres. It was possible to get a runway of 1,400 yards maximum and the shortest 1,1,,as about 750 yds.
ORKNEY AIR MAIL.
I T is learned that the air mail operat
ing between Kirkwall and Inverness is not to be discontinued, as expected. We had known that possibly Highland Airways,. Ltd., would attempt to run the service through the winter.
REMARKABLE FREIGHT SERVICE REGULARITY.
CREDIT is due to two British pilots, Mr. John Pugh, A.F.C., and Mr. A. P. Hattersley, for the remarkable record of early-morning flights to Paris which they have set up this year.
These pilots are employed by Commercial Air Hire, Ltd., of which Mr. Pugh is a director, and they have used a Dragon G-ACCR daily since the early summer, transporting nearly 1,500 lb. of English newspapers every morning to Paris. Up to the present, they have not missed a morning, and this includes the period since the reversion to winter time, The Dragon has never failed.
BIG HILLMAN PUBLIC COMPANY EXPECTED.
W/ITHIN a few weeks, Mr. Edward ri Hillman will probably float a public company of considerable size to take over Hillman's Airways, Ltd. Mrs. James lIollison has accepted the proposal that she should be a director.