n
..
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1934.
BRITISH COMMERCIAL FLYING CORRESPONDENCE
Lord Londonderry's Reply To Critics
VERY MUCH AHEAD OF
COMPETITORS
Speaking in the House of Lords on November 21, Lord Lon- donderry gave a comprehensive survey of the existing position of British commercial aviation as compared with those of other countries. He very emphatically proved to the critics that the claims of very high speed attained by Continental air lines were exaggerated and moreover that the British "commercial planes carried a very considerable proportion of both passenger and mail traffic. The future policy of development in commercial aviation was also lucidly outlined.
craft, because the incidence of its re-equipment policy happens to fall at a different period from our own, we should immediately write- off our existing aircraft Dut hand and buy new. That, frankly, would be a policy which coula only end in bankruptcy and disas- ter:
ק
WIS
"[All letters intended for publi- cation must be accompanied by the nams and address of the writer, not for publication, unless so desired, but as evidence of good faith.-ED.]
M
(To Editor, Hong Kong Daily Fress,"
MUZZLING REGULATIONS
H.K. POLICE RESERVES
ORDERS BY THE HON. MR, T. H.
KING, INSPECTOR GENERAL ^
OF POLICE
Indian Company Revolver Course:---Members of the Indian Company will fire the Part III Course "A" at the Ken- nedy Road Range on Wednesday, December 19 at 15.00 hours under Sub-Inspector A. L. Hopkins .Only those detailed "will attend.
Chinese Company Inspection Parade:—All ranks of the No. 1 Platoon will parade ät Now I repeat; that it was speci-
Central Police Station on Thurs- cally in connection with the Sir, The Fanling Hunt have nowday, December 20 at 17.30 hours cross-Channel services, and the held Ave meetings in none of which under Sub-Inspector R. J. Hunt for French fleet in particular, that have they seen it to comply with a general inspection of equipment, this question of speed
first the muggling regulations neither etc., by the Company Commander. raised with me by others than have the authoritak-taken any ac- Dress: Blue Uniform, Cap with. the Noble Lord. and it is for that tion; apart from the unfairness of White Cover, Belt with Brace, reason that I have dealt with the show why miss the revenue to Armlet .with Badge. "Pocket those services at some length be derived from the fines-which Policeman" and note book to be As I have already said the ought to have been imposed? carried. Noble Lord and the majority | especially in these hard times!,« of critics are altogether helpful I wonder if the defence that a and constructive, but there is I dog was upon its lawful occasion" regret to say another school of would meet with an acquittal to the criticism of which this is far from usual summons for an unmuzzled being the case. These critics are, dog before any of our Magistrates I am glad to say, a minority, and either in Kowloon or on the Island I hope that the many friends of Yours faithfully, British civil aviation, whose sup- port I value highly, will not think that in the remarks" which I now make I am addressing myself to means to an end. I suggest that them They are on the contrary in air, as in any other form of directed to the minority of whom transport, what really matters in I have spoken. These latter cri- the time taken to convey passen-tics. disconcerted when they find gers, mails and goods from one themselves confronted with the point to another. It may be, hard facts I have cited, airily dis- therefore, that it will be on this miss the cross-Channel services basis that we shall ultimately deal and say that comparisons should with this matter, though I do not be made not with them, but over wish to prejudge the precise me- the longer routes, and services, thods at this stage.
LESSONS FROM MELBOURNE
AIR RACE
My Lords, I am very glad the Noble Lord. Lord Moyne, haä put down this question, for it gives me an opportunity of dealing not only with the immediate points, he'i has raised, but also with a num- ber of cognate issues on which it is perhaps timely that I should give a full and reasoned explana- tion. The spectacular achieve- ments of the Melbourne Race have naturally. focussed' a remark- able degree of public attention on civil aviation-one.
of which has been a stream of com- ment in the Press and elsewhere, and, of course, not all of it has been well-informed. We, whose duty it is to foster the develop ment of commercial air transport in and out of season. through good report and I, in times of public inertia no less than times
outcome
of public enthusiasm, always wel- come sane and constructive criti- cism, based on a real knowledge of
and London is
to
The Longer Routes
Now I must point out that near- is $1,000 passengers travelled by air between England and the Con- tinent, in 1933, so this traffic is
he
ONE LAW FOR ALL Hong Kong, December 17"
83
to the
Flying Squad Revolver Course:-All members of the Flying Squad who have not yet Ared the Part III. Course “A” will attend at the Kennedy Road Range on Wednesday, December tor A: L. Hopkins. 19 at 17.15 hours under Sub-Inspec-
Bezt.
Acting, D.SP. (R.). C. CHAMPKIN, Hong Kong, December 17, 1934.
"MONOPOLY PROFITEERING"
Sir.-In his letter to you under the above caption, your correspon- dent "Consumer" is charging the Emergency Unit Reserve Kowloon Electric Company, in
Strength:-Constable R443 W. E. other words the China Light & Broadbridge has been "permitted to Power Company with pronteering resign from the Emergency Unit and by way of proving his case Reserve, as from December 5, 1934.
proceeds to compare the Revolver Course:-All members of Speed Not Everything
sixteen cents per unit charged by the Emergency Unit Reserve who This issue of speed
the Hong Kong Company was first
against the eighteen cents charged Course will attend at the Kennedy have not yet fired the Part III raised with me several months ago
by the Kowloon Company. of the new air liners which "Airno small matter; and I may add in the light of the performance
Road Range on Wednesday, Decem- Assuming that "Consumer has ber 19 at 17.15 hours under Sub- France" had brought into service that of that 91.000. some 53.000 of being a consumer of current. I
no other axe to grind except that Inspector A. L. Hopkins.. on their cross-Channel services were carried by British aircraft
Defendy Class-Defendu Instruc- a speed which enables them
propose, with your permission, totions will take place at the Base. perform the fight between Paris eign lines in combinatier-includ
as compared with 37,500 by all for reply to the points raised by your ment of the Sailors' Home and
correspondent. minutes less than Imperial Air- Belgian. Nevertheless, I
some thirty-five ing French, German, Dutch and
Seamen's Institute, It appears to me that "Con December 21 at 17.20 hours. All on Friday gladly sumer's whole argument hinges members are requested to be pre- ways. Thirty-five minutes may transfer my pasis of
comparison on the last paragraph but one of normal schedule for a fight from operations of British and French "Consumer draws attention lot seem very much-but the to the wider "sphere of the world his letter. In this paragraph Croydon to Le Bourget, is 24 hours, al transport respectively. What the fortunate position of it represents a very substantial do we And?
Hong Kong resident, and also to proportion of the total time tak- criticism is always constructive anden on the journey. It Has been mercial air transport is to carry which has succeeded in building I take it that the object of com- that of the Hong Kong Company. helpful, but there is a minority of exceedingly interesting to follow the largest possible volume of pas-up such huge reserves, and he critics who, on the present occa- sion Have devoted their energies The Air Ministry keep, of course, sonable cost-not to maintain, at the subsequent course of events sengers and mails by air "at rea- to a disparagement of British
a careful watch on the trend of the taxpayers expente, extrava». achievements and to enlogies of the achievements of our foreign Passenger traffic and its division gant fleets flying about the world between British and foreign air half or three-quarters empty. Your competitors and this on" a basts
transport companies. Now it was Lordships will therefore be inter charges, the Kowloon Company of data and figures which are
as long ago as the Summer of ested to know that, during the has not so far succeeded very largely erroneous—and are
1933 that the re-equipment of the year 1933, over its world ser- building hindering rather than helping the
French fleet with these faster air- vices as a
up "Huge reserves"-- cause which I do not doubt they craft began, and by the end
whole, Imperial Air- Why? The reason is not far to like the majority, have sincerely last Spring it was more
of ways carried a larger mail. a seek-For, whereas consumers on at heart. But before I proceed complete. Yet during the last four total
or less larger passenger, and a larger the Island are concentrated, thus to deal with the wider issues to months Imperial Always carried French;
ton-mileage than the involving less cable expenditure, which I have referred, let me an-
and, &.5 was recently those on the Kowloon side living three times as many
The Teshiu Mart, arriving in swer the particular
passengers pointed out by a distinguished in widely scattered areas neces- the Colony on Sunday reported questions
as Air France across the Channel correspondent in the Press, where- sarily involve much heavier cable that one member of the crew was which the Noble Lord has raised.
from London to Paris. and vice- as "Air France" showed in the outlay.
last accounts we have seen, a loss
killed and two injured when an at the yearly rate
explosion occurred on board the after excluding subsidy, the cor- of £1,300,000
vessel in Tonking, near Hainan. responding figure for Imperia:
Kawahari, made a report of, the The master of the trawler, Capt Always was under £450.000.
the facts. In the first category I number my Noble Friend... whose
versa.
An Erroneous Statement
These figures certainly suggest He has asked me, firstly, whether that speed, beyond a certain point. I am aware that a foreign air is by no means the only thing Line offers a faster service to the that would-be travellers Far East than that provided by look for. They look for safety, by at
Imperial Airways.' I am aware they look for comfort, and they that it has been publicly stated look for regularity just as much that the Dutch line to the East" the KLM-operates five-day service to Batavia. But this state ment is wholly incorrect, and in fact the schedule for this service is eight days in summer and nine days in winter, aa compared with an eight-and-a-half day schedule the year round by Imperial Air Ways to Singapore. It is doubt- less true that as the foreign lines concerned are re-equipped with new aircraft, they will curtail their present schedules. Imperial Airways intend to do the same as
The Noble Lord next asks
that
"Something is definitely wrong.” arrives at the conclusion
Our friend is quite right--some-
thing in definitely wrong, since in
pite
of the Extortionate"
+
EXPLOSION ON TRAWLER
One Killed, Two Injured
I am well aware of course that always subjected to some criticism. Utility Companies everywhere are but they, surely; are also entitled to fair play.....
happening to the police on the "Consumer" know, Does
for
vessel's arrival here. He stated example, that in the first eighteen years of its existence (It started that an ammonia tank to the in 1900) the Kowloon Company with the result that Tsujuri Sitl engine-room suddenly exploded have made no return to shareholders and that, therefore,
an olier, died from the effects of current was being supplied at a
gas poisoning. Two other mem- loss to the Company during all bers of the crew, Selahiro. Masada those years?
and Hartura Matanichita, received injuries.
Its
The Dutch Business, But the school of critics to as speed. Personalis, Uke Lord whom I aliude, uke the Hydra of Moyne. I tike, to travel as fast as classic legend, have $ hundred possible; and I am even prepared heads. Lop off one, and straight to put up with some degree of another springs in its place, "That discomfort to achieve But I suggest that we must not say, "but look at what the Dutch this end. may be true of the French," they organise our commercial air tran- have achieved 1" sport system to meet the demands respect, for the achievements both is paying nine per cent, return to I have a great Again the Company at present of the few: And of one thing 1 of our good friends
The two injured men were, 8000 after the trawler's arrival in port, removed to the Japanese hospital
Ashley Road for treatment. The remains of the dead-man were cremated yesterday at the look-Sookunpoo Crematorium.
the French is shareholders but if allowance am certain and that is that on and the Dutch. If, however, the is made for the years during the long-distance routes. as sche-object of commercial air transport which there was no return at all, and more of the twenty-four hours the greatest possible volume of less than four per cent. dules are speeded up, and more is no I have suggested to carry the present yield works out at are spent in actual flight, the serial traffic, I may remark that In the face of these facts, average passenger will demand an last year the ton-mileage carried ed at from an unblassed point of they replace their present feet increasing degree of comfort. One by Imperial Airways was nearly view, does "Consumer" honestly me would think from reading some ninety per cent. greater than that still think that the Company is whether, in the subsidy arrange of the criticisms which have been carried by the Dutch. I may add profiteering? ments now in force, any condition given such free vent in the past further that it was more than one. exists as to speed of service; whe-week or two that T, as represent hundred per cent. ther any extension of the subsidying the Air Ministry and British that carried in the same period greater than period is contemplated; and whe-air transport, should be hiding by the Italiana. Lastly, Your Lord- ther, in case of such extension my head in shame. the Government will consider im-
ships may like to know that for the first five months of the cur posing such conditions. The an-
rent financial year Imperial: Air- ways ton-mileage showed an in- crease of a third on the corres- ponding figure for 1833,
arc
(To be Continued)
EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS IN TURKEY
More Passengers swer is that the present agree I suggest that when we ments with Imperial Airways for carrying three times the number their Indian and African services | of passengers on a route on which do require that, to count for sub- we are in direct competition with sidy, flights shall be completed a powerful rival, whilst we must within a certain period of time. avoid any undue degree of“ com- But as these agreements were placency, we certainly need not concluded several years ago, the allow ourselves to be rushed into periods of time allowed have In Exuavagant paizic measures in the natural course been greatly the find pursuit of mere speec Improved upon by, Imperial Air- | with a reckless disregard of al- ways in actual practice. That is other factors. That is not. of the obvious drawback to fixing course, to say that we must not
Istanbul, Dec. 16, static conditions in dealing with take advantage of each fresh a form of transport which is in technical development and insist,
Twenty persons were killed and an essentially fuld state of deve- when existing fleets are re-equip 100 Injured, while at least 25 v lopment, but I may say at once ped, on a substantial increase in ages Wete destroyed, rendering that, if and when any new agree-speed. But the comparison I have thousands homeless, as the result ments are concluded with the given of the cross-Channel pas of several revere earthquake Company the arst of the current senger trame by air between July shocks in Anatolia, which are still agreements to expire does not run and October last seems to me a continuing, especiality ant until 1937 appropriate mint sumcient answer to that minority Neighbourhood of Tchapakajóur. mann "conditiona, wilt certainly § he of critics who have so loudy «d- The overn:
upond? They will not, how yocated a vast imm
ever, necessarily take the Korm of in our mie typ requirement OF BOY MANY miles, seem to expect er hour for that is merely ran a foreign feet öb
ate increase rescue
Luc who
oment urge
Peuter.
Enclosing, my card-Yours, etc..
"ANOTHER CONSUMER” Hong Kong, December 17, 1934,
Bir-Bravo "Consumer" it is high time someone took up this im- portant matter go ahead and good luck to you, Kowloon Residents are with you for 2 cents at least off the price we are paying for electric current.
"ANOTHER CONSUMER" Hong Kong, December 17, 1834
Sir-Undoubtedly. "Consumer": is doing a publie service, in^ ad- vocating a "reduction in the pre- tent" price charged for Electric Current particularly in Kowloon. Sir-I strongly advocate a 're-' Lower coste should benent the duction in the Electric Power consumer and where competition | rate. The present charges are exists reductions follow automati- far too fiigh, especially, after we cally, surely this should also apply have noticed the very large- proft to monopolies or otherwise they made by the China Light & Power "are taking unfair advantage of Co. We further ask that an over-
their position.
haul be made of the charges of all the Public Utility Companies In the Colony
Yours etc.. VERY INTERESTED.
-I am sure Kowloon. Besid-
“Consumes
We particularly allude to the unreasonable charges levied by the Telephong Co. If one happens- to liye, beyond the boundary line. Burely a little enterprise in the disection
replay
oneco, tentola
their ache
in the
during these chard
times
sending"
tis reported," ar
Hong Kong Dec 17, 199
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