March 24th
In a strage series of events the goverment not only agreed in principle to the increase of tonnage allocated to the Indians, and invited them to hold the conference in Sydney but also dropped hints that it will try to block the sale of battlecruisers to Formosa and Chosen. Why does the goverment support the increase of Indian tonnage but oposes the sale of BCs to the two SATSUMA countries? Is there a reason behind this?
April 1st
Construction continues on the
Princess Vespa . She is expected to be launched late 1932, early 1933. Captain Lonestar has been chosen as her captain by the RASSL(Royal Australian Steam Ship Lines). The Sydney Times was fortunate to obtain an interview with the owner of the RASSL, Sir Rupert Murdoch.
ST: What do you say to the charges brought against the ship that she is a "shadow" carrier in disguise and should be counted towards the Australian Cleito Limits?
RM: I don't know nothing about no Cleito treaty. And these ships are no warships. We beat our swords into plowshares and get accused of building WARships? Why is everyone looking at us, when all we are building is a puny 15,000 ton ship using newtechnology to allow it to compete against the giant liners. What should be regulated are the giant oceanliners which displacing 50,000+ tons, with a speed of 35+ knots. I'm pretty sure there are plans to convert those ships into carriers in case of war. I consider these charges nothing more than dirty tactics by our competidors to stop our revolutionary idea from floating.
ST: What would you say to the idea that your ship might be impressed into RAN service? Or alternately having the goverment blocking the construction of your ship due to international preasure?
RM: The RAN better not lay their (censored by the Australian Association of Concerned Mothers) hands on my ship! Any country interfering with free enterprise deserves to have the guns of Tiger shove up (censored by the Australian Association of Concerned Mothers). Our goverment does not have the right to interfere with private matters. If neccesary I'll have this ship registered under another flag. And you can be sure that I will not support the current goverment come election time.
ST: What is so revolutionary about this ship?
RM: Its concept. She is capable of delivering and receiving mail and passengers without having to stop. This eliminatestime wasted stopping in small harbors. She should be capable of beating much faster conventional vessels in normal routes. In ten years you can expect most ships to follow her lead. The "White Elephant Line" ships will soon be obsolete.
April 5th
Today the ships destined to participate in the International Fleet Review and Air Regatta in Spithead, departed from Sydney. Mighty
Tiger lead the fleet which included
Auckland ,
Admirality Isl , 4
Aclarity class destroyers,
Canberra , 5 "S" class destroyers and
Sydney in what is expected to be her last cruise before she is retired.
Canberra is trasporting the aerial component, which will include the "Black Swans" flight demonstration team, and the CAC-7 Shrike which is being offered to the Royal Air Force. Also aboard will be the two Gloster VI racers that will be Australia's entry in the Schneider Trophy
race.
Artist conception of the racers:
The racer:
The "Black Swans"
April 15th
The number of diplomatic messages between Australia and several other countries has increased. A number of dimplomats have been dispatched to Siam, Iberia, Denmark and a few other countries. When the Goverment was asked about this increase in diplomatic traffic and the apperant lack of similar communications with the SATSUMA countries, the reply was that similar communications where to be held with SATSUMA but do to "El Derretir" this has been postponed.
Southern Cross arrives!
May 1st
Crowds, rivaling those present at the arrival of the original
Southern Cross , where present today to witness the arrival of the zeppelin
Southern Cross . ATPA has announce that regular service to the US, Canada, and possibly Great Britan will begin sometime in mid July. Flights for 1932 are already booked solid. The RAN took the time to confirm the fact that construction of the first of two zeppelins for the RAN has begun. The second one will be built in the newly finished RAN facilities in Sydney.
(pics by CanisD)