EMPIRE AIR MAIL

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 195, 31 May 1938, Page 6

EMPIRE AIR MAIL

ACCEPTANCE BY DOMINION. UNITED KINGDOM SCHEME. BETWEEN LONDON AND SYDNEY. HATE ljtl PER HALF-OUNCE. (Per Press Association.) • WELLINGTON. This Day. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) announced to-day that the Government has decided to adopt the Empire air mail scheme, on the “all up” basis, proposed by the Government of the United Kingdom. As soon as the scheme comes into force all letters to and from Great Britain will be sent by air between London and Sydney at ltd per half-ounce. An essential of the scheme is that all letters to England should go by the new route. Particulars as to the countries to be served, together with rates to foreign countries, will be made known at an early date.

THE TASMAN SERVICE. STATEMENT BY MR SAVAGE. WELLINGTON, This Day. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage), in a statement in reference to the Trans-Tasman Air Service, says he can only conclude that M r Thorby (Australian Minister for Defence)'has been misreported. He communicated with Australia on May 14 by cable, and received an acknowledgment on May 17. with an expression of regret that no decision could be communicated until after the following day, hut nothing had been received since. Mr Savage said there was in his cablegram nothing outside agreement or likely to call a halt in the negotiations. -The Government had nominated Union Airways as its company to cooperate with Imperial Airways and Qantas Airways in the arrangements for the formation of an operating company to inaugurate the Tasman Service, but said that Union Airways would prefer five directors instead of the nine agreed the Air Conference, and asked for Australia s decision on the proposed amendment. r l he Government did not urge a change, but merely conveyed the opinion of Union Airways and asked for that of Australia. If it was not acceptable to Australia or the United Kingdom, the original proposal of nine stands. Mr Savage said that New Zealand ws very anxious' to see the TransTasman Service commenced as a link in the Empire Air Mail scheme, which New Zealand had decided to adopt on the “all-up” basis proposed by Great Britain.