To the Editor of the "Nonmi-Cinwa Dart News!
Ssu, Years ago I lived in Hongkong. 'A fugitive Far Easter Interest laing in me and I always keep my fears wide open for the. gossip" that floats by the portals of the Oriental for the hatched House Clive. Lately Ihave heard the echoes of some con troversy or ollier out there concemning the development of Imperial alt services, also happens that T nave taken a keen interest in British avioc tion since the days when I" spent {weive years with the. late Lord Northetife and helped In many of his pioneer enterprises designed. 9. put British fying well on the map of Wworla, Soi have double. fustitea ion for taking an interes in this Par Enstern air business and in it relations {o British policy generally In the Far East 'We must all have noted with great pleasure' the operation of some experimental fights connecting the Im-Perlal England/Austalla service: with Hongkong. Knowing from my_own past experience the value of improved Communications to the: Far ost, I Sincerely: trust that" they will give place to a regular service at an early Gate, "These experimental services Sppear 10 take a somewhat curlour Foute, and Judging by newspaper com= ments inthe Dritsh Press fa China N'vould appear that polteal cor Slderations are responsible for the hole of route.
Tels, However, possible that secure the. best connections In both directions, 124 from Honglong to and from Great Britain, and from Mong: krone. to. and. from" Australia, it may bbe desirable to make the Junction at Penang. rather than the" Hon Service'should follow what appears to the more natural route via Hanoi "There has, T understand, been con. siderable' agitation in regard. to. the fntey Into Hongkong of it services St Vavious nationalities from adjacent {erritory, and there ts no: doubt that their entry would in many ways. be {o the advantage of the 'Colony, and Would provide sri much desired. ime provement in. communications.. Un-Fortunately, however, we know thai the stm freedom tx' not accorded tte "Transport ano "zea" transport. 'Any chip' can enter" any" port. "One fan. therefore "tindagstand. the ree fuctance of any Government to give the right'ot entry to fur ports tothe Aeroplanes of a nation that wall not ive reciprocal facili, 'The position is more readily appreciated it we think of ships Father than "aeroplanes, and one' can well Imagine British' Business" people. in Hongkong being up in arms if the Government permitted the entry of, fy, Chinese vessels nto Hongixong: td, on the other hand, China ree fused to allow, British ships to enter hor harbours, To accept such a sltuae {ion "would "obviously ead. to. the elimination of British shipping.
spite, therefore, of the tore porary diffcuties that may' ensue, feoma"ebvious. thatthe Government must bargain for reiprecal treatment. T'do not claim to have inside know: fede in regard to these matters" bul everybody knows that Brill, French and Dutch services riy "across India find Burma, and presumably,, therefore, either these counties have made Feeiprocal arrangements, "or" they ubsertbe to the poly of the freedom of the air on the line of the freedom of the se.
We alto know that French, British and American services. are" anxious {o'fy into Chino, but up to date none them is able' to do" so, cithougly the two main Chinese ale' companier are associated with United Slates and German interests respectively. There are, however, no foreign companies Operating Into China, and the Chinese companies do not operate outside the fereltorial limite of their own coun: tty, and one is forced to the con. clusion that ft has Not yet been found sible for there three counties five each other reciprocal right.
Pan-American Airways ig_ known desire to enter: Hongkong. with is Pacife service. I. is also" common knowledge that American services into" oF through Canada. to parts the West Indies; but s0 far, maps of the World's air routes donot show any "British "services. into "or "over nited States' territory.
'There can be no doubt that, fu due course, there" will be alr" services Across the. Atlantic and the 'Pacine Neither "Britain. nor the' United States. will expect to find this exclusive sphere of either nati and it may be hoped that our policy wilt Be one of ce-operation with the United Staves, and. they, ultimately, {he Trans-Pacine services will con feet in Hongkong with the air routes {o India, Burope and "Australia.
'New, and "as yet nmeastrable forces are at work tu. the Far Bast where "Britain's responsibilities In Yegard to the fulure bear upon her most heavily. 'With the sword. as it to-day there can only be one sao Dolley for us, in' air og in other mattors—British prestige and British interests first. Section interests should realize that this new air age thas produced problems far beyond the purely commercial ones which appear to dominate the minds critics of most policies directed 10] the general good of the Empire. 'There are probably defects in some dotally of British alr policy but they Jare not to be remedied by yielding to importunate rivals and" losing ight of the main - objective—the steady, considered progress of Im= eriat' alr services as a whole, 2 Cockspur St, London S.W.1. ct. 30,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.