EMPIRE AIR MAILS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 190, 12 August 1922, Page 7

EMPIRE AIR MAILS.

■ I A GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE. FOR SERVICE TO BOMBAY. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) LONDON, August 11. Lord Gorell's committee to consider the Imperial air mail service scheme has issued its first report. It recommends that a line to India should be run by private enterprise, supported and encouraged by financial and other assistance from the State. The Government should guarantee interest at the rate of 5 or 0 per cent on the initial capital for five years, but this State liability should be limited and tenders from firms should be invited. The committee favours land aeroplanes, but the question of craft should be referred to an aeronautical research committee, which should be given £200.000 to be spread over three years for experimental work. The committee recommends the Cairo-Bagdad-Karachi-Bombay route. It is considered that machines will be able to fly only by day at an average speed of 100 miles per hour. If night flying were possible the journey to India would be reduced by at least one-half. The committee estimates that the cost of a single trip a week from London to Bombay would be ..3000. This would be reduced by one-third if the trip were made daily. A weekly service would cost £500,000, and a daily service £1,000,000. If 5 per cent of the present letter mail was carriSd by the air postal service the fees would yield £825 each trip. Four passengers at £i>o each would bring in a further £200.—(A. and N.Z.j