BRITISH COMMONWEALTH TALKS ON CIVIL AVIATION
Immediately before and after the International Civil Aviation
Conference held at Chicago during November and December, 1944,
conversations on Civil Aviation affecting Commonwealth countries
were held at Montreal and also at London. [1]

The Minister for Air and Civil Aviation has submitted to me a
Report, copy of which is attached. [2]

On page 11 of the Report, the Minister has listed the following
matters for decision, with his recommendation that the Australian
Government agree:-

(i) Whether the Australian Government will have a representative
on the Commonwealth Air Transport Council (paras. 4(g), 814, 28,
and Appendix I). All other Commonwealth Governments have agreed.

(ii) Whether, in the operation of the U.K.-Australasia service via
India, the Australian Government will stand firm in the decision
taken that the service should not be operated by a joint operating
corporation representative of the U.K., India, Australia and New
Zealand, but should be continued on a parallel operation basis by
selected U.K. and Australian operators.

(iii) Whether the Australian Government will join with the New
Zealand and United Kingdom Governments in the formation of a joint
operating corporation for a trans-Pacific civil air service
(paras. 4(d), 15-20 and 33).

(iv) Whether standard clauses on the lines of those prescribed in
Appendix II should be adopted for inclusion in any bilateral
agreements negotiated with other countries (paras. 4(b), and 21-
26). [3]

JOHN CURTIN
Prime Minister