TUESDAY TO FRIDAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 99, 28 April 1945, Page 4

TUESDAY TO FRIDAY

THE Lancastrian which reached Auckland yesterday afternoon left Britain on Tuesday, New Zealand time. That fact alone sufficiently illustrates the important improvement which will be made in the Dominion's overseas communications when the Lancastrian service is inaugurated in June. Since the Japanese descent on Singapore the difficulties of maintaining air services between Britain and the southern Donlinions have been extreme, and their partial solution called for a high degree of determination, resourcefulness and, not infrequently, of courage. Inevitably, the best that could be done was insufficient to restore the regularity and relative speed of the services the Dominion had enjoyed before Pearl Harbour. When the Lancastrians begin a service which at first will be weekly, but later bi-weekly, it will be possible to reach the United Kingdom from New Zealand, or vice versa, much faster than ever before. Although this will not be a fact of immediate importance to travellers, except a few who qualify for the category of high-priority passengers, the transportation of mails in six days should benefit a large number of people. If, at first, there should be need to restrict the volume of mail for this new and speedy service, preference might well be given for a limited term to servicemen and next-of-kin, particularly the thousands of prisoners of war who, it can be hoped with some confidence, will by then have reached the United Kingdom and will desire nothing more greatly than to send and receive letters with the least delay.