AERIAL MAILS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 245, 14 October 1918, Page 9

AERIAL MAILS.

utfobbiation: aotj maps, obtain— d for dominion. sir joseph ward's views. Sir Joseph Ward hud something to ay on Ins arrival iv -iucklitud on buturdav regarding tbo question of un icruil mail service, lie had had an opportunity, he eaid, oi inquiring into the future prospects of a service of this kind, and there was a report following him from the Air branch of the War Department, in charge of General Sykes, who was furnishing full information upon all points that were necessary to consider in connection with an undertaking of this kind. He did not think itpob°iblc: to put a scheme of this nature into operation till after the war, for various reasons. The carrying on of the war must tako first place till it was satisfactorily concluded. Jn the second place, there' would be a great number tl modern machines, now being used for the war, available when the war was inded. It was the very latest and most up-to-date machines that were desirable for aerial mail (services, and it was desirable that we should have an opportunity of availing ourselves of these machines after it was decided to have the wjrk carried out. A great deal of preliminary work, which could only be undertaken after the war, was required before an aerial mail service could be established. Landing places would have to be provided at different points. These would be comparatively short spaces of level ground, and would be placed at points so that Hying machines could come down whenever they required to do so. All thw information was being furnished by the Air branch of the War Department for New Zealand as a whole, lt was necessarily a work of specialists, and the preliminary work would probably take at least from six to twelve mouths to prepare, so that all that could be done at present was to get the fullest information from the most reliable sources available. In addition to the maps and reports that were being forwarded by (ieneral Sykes, Mr Hanley Page, head of the great manufacturing aeroplane works at Cricklewood, near London, was furnishing maps, reports. nnd suggestions. Though not a

Government undertaking, this firm wns working entirely in preparation of machines for the Government, and was really a semi-dovcTiiment concern. Tlie works were huge, and before coming away he was in one of the machines in the aerodrome that vva3 capable of lifting into the air 1.") tons. It -would be seen, therefore, that from two of tbe most advanced and experienced sources in England we would be iv possession of all the information necessary to give the whole question proper consideration when the time arrived.