AIR MAIL TO INDIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20249, 8 May 1929, Page 11

AIR MAIL TO INDIA.

THE FIRST JOURNEY.

" BEGINNING OF GREAT SYSTEM."

[from our own correspondent.]

LONDON, April 5. The Imperial Airways City of Glasgow, a three-engined air liner, set out from Croydon aerodrome last Saturday on the first journey of the regular weekly service to India.

Sir Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for Air, who is travelling in the machine as far as Egypt, whence he will carry out an official tour of inquiry, said before he went aboard:—"This is the real beginning of British civil flying. Hitherto Empire flights have been of the nature of trial trips and the regular services have been confined to Europe. They have shown people it is safe to fly and have given people the idea of the air. To-day mails are to go by air on a 5000-mile journey. I am quite sure it marks the beginning of a great system of passenger and mail air transport. "There is no official ceremony to-day. There will, however, be an official ceremony when the sendee is open for passengers, as it will be in a short time, and

when an Italian service across the Medi

terranean, which is to be run in conjunction with ours, is also ready. Then a British and Italian flying boat will

cross the Mediterranean in company. I shall leave the India line at Alexandria and thence fly up the Nile in E.A.F. machines, possibly as far as Mongalla, to make inquiries with regard to the projected air line to the Cape which the British Government, in conjunction with the Governments of countries on the route, will assist." v ,

The amount of mail brought by a G.P.O. van was far less than expected, weighing only 5601b. (representing approximately 12,000 letters). One sent no fewer than 1500 letters/-, while others sent several, with the object of acquiring philatelic souvenirs likely ono day to be valuable. The amount of other freight, also, was less than expected. Owing to the preliminary difficulties and uncertainties about the service the

postal authorities withheld instructions to

the public until the Tuesday and this circumstance, combined with the approach of the Easter vacation, no doubt affected

the quantity of mail, which included letters to the Viceroy and other official personages from tho India Office and other departments. The organisation of a great air route

taking in many different countries was naturally no easy matter, says tho air correspondent of tho Observer. For four years • negotiations and organising have been in progress. In January, 1927, Sir Samuel Hoare, accompanied by Lady Maud Hoare, flew over the route on what was hoped would prove the inaugural flight. Then difficulties with Persia arose and personnel and equipment at Persian aerodromes had to be withdrawn. It took nearly two years to settle those difficulties, but the personnel and equipment are now rapidly being replaced. Then, when all seemed ready, it was found extremely difficult to reconcile conflicting interests of Italy and Greece, and officials of the company spent many weeks in those countries trying to settlo things. Ten days ago the position seemed hopeless and a hurriedly-summoned international conference was held at Brussels and plans for an entirely different route to Athens were drawn up. Personnel were transferred to new stations and other changes were imposed by the adoption of the Corfu-Athens section. There are 20 stations bu the 5000-miles route and to each of these, except those on the Cairo-Basra section already provided, staffs have had to be sent. These number some 200 persons. There are eight new pilots on the service, one of them being a brother of the late Sir John Alcock, who, with Sir A. Whitten Brown, first flew the Atlantic. The service is by Argosy three-engined aeroplane from London to ,Basle, by night express from Basle to Genoa, by three-engined Short Jupiter flying boat to Alexandria and by thrceengincd Hercules aeroplane to Karachi. I