HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
183
We now turn to aviation. Following as we must, the general trend of events in China we cannot help being struck by the keen interest taken by the Chinese in aviation and the efforts being made by them to create a net-work of services in various parts of the country.
When one considers the difficulties of communication, the distance to be travelled and the general want of modern facilities, and when one realises that we are by air travel only about six hours from Hankow, two hours from Wuchow, two and a half hours from Kweilin and ten hours from Shanghai, one can get some conception of the great possibilities of aviation.
We have an aerodrome in the course of construction; but aviation is still backward in this Colony. Singapore has its flying club financially supported by the Straits Settlements Government and a club at Colombo is under consideration, whilst in India there are about 12 similar associations. Flying clubs, such as we refer to, can provide an arm to the volunteers and the police in case of trouble and at the same time those who are prepared to take up aviation on a more permanent basis are given an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the science in its early stages.
Mr. Vaughan Fowler, the representative of the Far East Aviation Company, has laid before your Excellency a detailed scheme for a flying club similar to those I have already mentioned and we are glad to note that you have given it the Colony's financial support in the Budget for 1930. The very substantial provision appearing on page 32 of the Estimates is indicative of your Excellency's belief, which we share, in this means of communication in the future and of its practical application to this part of the world and in particular of Hong Kong's vital interest in it.
At the same time we hope that the new Labour Government, which is obviously anxious to promote the interest of the Colonies to the utmost of its power, will see the reasonableness of the Imperial Government making a larger contribution than £100,000 towards our aerodrome.
We feel that this matter of a much larger contribution being made by the Imperial Government is of so much importance that we make no apology for quoting the following extract from the speech made by my honourable friend, Sir Shou-son Chow, voicing the collective views of the Unofficial members of this Council, in his budget speech of the 4th October, 1928 (see Hong Kong Hansard of 1928 at page 85):
"The inability of His Majesty's Government to contribute more than £100,000 towards the cost of the Aerodrome instead of paying three-fourths of the total cost is very disappointing to the community, after it had been told that the Secretary of State for the Colonies had actually proposed to the Imperial
54
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.