AERIAL POST

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 164, 11 July 1919, Page 2

AERIAL POST

FOR NEW ZEALAND MAILS. THE SUGGESTED ROUTES. Already consideration lias been given to the question of the future carriage of New Zealand mails over long distances by aeroplane. The merest skeleton plans have been made and discussed between the Military Aviation Expert, Colonel Bettinfrton, and the Post Office authorities; but until air carriage of mails becomes a great deal cheaper than it can be made at present, it ie quite certain that the aerial post when it comes into operation will be used only for spocial matter, very urgent, and probably paid for at special rates. The aerial post will not carry postal packages, or even personal correspondence. The idea of using the aeroplane to reach remote country places is scouted by the authorities. The suggested direct route to Auckland is via Wanganui, 03 miles due north of Wellington, and almost in a straig-ht line between Wellington and Auckland. The next flight in this route, from Wanganui to Auckland, is 215 miles. From Wanganui to New Plymouth is 80 miles. Tiie air lino between Wellington and Palmerston is 80 miles. It k suggested that Xapier may be reached either via Palmerston or Masterton, the Palmerston route being the shorter one. From Gisborne northward the route will be via Rotorua to Auckland, and there is a suggestion for a branch line from Rotorua to Opotiki, a little more than half an hour's' flight distant. From Auckland the routes are north to Russell, and south-east to Thames, and thence to Coromandel. These schemes are yet an exceedingly long way from realisation. If a trial should ever be made it is certain that the begininge of ihe scheme will be small, and that it will then be sometime before such an ambitious programme ac that now projected will be atteWed by the Post Office. r " y