Commander Scott, in an interview, said the most successful feature of the flight was the triumph over adverse weather conditions, especially on the outward voyage. R34, on the return trip, had a favourable wind. She occupied 75 hours three minutes on the run, as compared with 108 hours outward.
Commander Scott said that R34's success had proved the big airship to be the type of craft for future deep-sea travelling. The size would be increased, enabling larger quantities of fuel, and possibly a speed of 100 miles per hour.
General Maitland said there were two reasons for the voyage: First, our friendship for America; second, to demonstrate the commercial possiblities of airships on long overseas journeys. The airship thus would not conflict with the aeroplane which was specially suitable for short journeys from the airships' termini. General Maitland expects that in the near future airships will seldom land; instead, they will be moored to immense steel towers.
Slow train complaints
The slowness of the through train from Invercargill to Dunedin, and vice versa, is freely commented upon by travellers. A Daily Times reporter who did the journey from Invercargill yesterday by the train leaving there at 7.40am kept a record of the time the train was actually standing still at stations and sidings, and this record shows that three hours 50½ minutes were actually occupied in this manner. The train was 10½ minutes late in arriving at its destination, so that the actual running time was 6hrs 40min. The train stopped at the whole of the stations and sidings between Invercargill and Dunedin with the exception of Clarksville and Kensington, and at Kuriwao it was slowed down to a speed of about four miles an hour.
The longest stop was at Clinton, where 59 minutes were put in. At Woodlands there was a stop of 20 minutes, at Edendale 12, Gore 16, Waipahi 14, Balclutha 17, Milton 19. The stops at other places varied from seven minutes to 30 seconds.
Society's social work
The monthly meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children was held in the Council Chambers on Monday; present, the Rev. Canon Curzon-Siggers (president), Mr D. Wright, the Rev. V. King, Miss Runciman Mesdames Foster, Jackson, Davey, Dr E. Siedeberg, and Mrs A. A. Hodson (secretary). The secretary's report showed a number of applications at the office, a good many people wanting advice, some requiring law, and others help in the way of clothing and temporary aid during the cold weather. Some cases are too painful to put before the public, but every applicant received advice and sympathy.
The following resolution was passed: "That in view of the alarming increase in the number of cases of criminal assault on young children, the Minister of Justice be respectfully urged to make provision for the more drastic punishment of men for this class of offence.'' - ODT, 15.7.1919.
