AIR MAIL SERVICE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 238, 8 October 1936, Page 11

AIR MAIL SERVICE.

DAY AND NIGHT FLYING. EMPIRE CONGRESS' VIEWS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. At the Congress of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, Mr. F. W. Parsons, of London, moved: "That this congress welcomes the British Government's scheme for the carriage by air in 1937 of Imperial first class mail matter without surcharge, and while appreciating the great value of this development to the business community, it considers that air mails should be operated 011 a 24-hour schedule. The congress further urges that the air mail services should cover at least 2500 miles in 24 hours, and to this end it desires to impress upon the Governments of the Empire the great importance of providing, without delay, adequate ground organisation along the Empire air routes in order to make easy and possible the operation of air mail services by night as well as by day." The resolution was carried. A further resolution dealt with radio aids, and urged His Majesty's Governments to use their influence at the international tele-communications conference at Cairo in 1938 to ensure that wavelengths allocated for use by aircraft shall be exclusive to them and sufficient. A further resolution sought a reduction in the high rate of postage of letters by air mail. Mr. ' Norton Francis (New Zealand) moved: "That the congress notes with regret that the Governments of Australia, South Africa, the Irish Free State and India have not seen their way to increase the limit on the weight of parcels from overseas to 221b, and urges on the Governments concerned the importance of rectifying the position as soon as possible." The resolution was carried. The desirability of uniform aviation insurance throughout the Empire was expressed in a remit from Sydney, which was carried, although a number of the British delegates opposed it, Mr. Alfred Wigglesworth (London) expressing their view that it would be impracticable at the present time. A resolution was carried urging constituent members of the federation to take up with their own members the necessity of using only containers or packages which can be relied on to safeguard their contents.