CHINESE AIR MAIL.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19669, 12 July 1929, Page 13

CHINESE AIR MAIL.

, , tub BDiToa or the pbkss. read a cable message in your Wednesday's issue with reference to the |nt CbineSfc air mail. It stated, inter ,)i. "that China's first air mail line an actuality this afternoon (Jfoaday), when a flight by Captain Henderson, a former R.A.F. flyer from ttoiwhai to Nanking, was successfully nrrteil out-" As tl,iß i 8 80 obviously * mistake.,l should like, with your perntlgsion, to give a few of tho facts as le.rar.J9 tfu air mails of China since tucvpt ion on May 7th, 1020. This flight, on which Government Bisi-S were carried, was from Peking to Tkmttiift l * distance equal to that- from to Timaru. Each' letter specially marked by a rubber hand itiEiittp-with'the wording in both English and Chines# 'deceived by AerowAaic." 011 July Ist, 1921, Chinese 3. and the air sense of the fin Ms® I'o^tafcauthorities had ad-' , l-.l U- cin-h ii||age that a special was issued, bear|B ; 11» of an aeroplane flying r ' ,t. e " t ! rt .-it Wall of China and of the fttluxtin# i.ah.es: —15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 •entau Those air stamps.were on issue t 5923, and were used on Tdrlorfw routes,* inducing the following i'Wns:"- Peking, Peitaho, Tientsin, and t I t will be seen from the above'that in iu> Hcnso can the flight of this week !tv . I'fud China's first, and instead of Dunking of that country as being back- , wa»a as (t-gards air mail, we can furn the tables on ourselves and say- ruber that wo are at present one i»f the most backward, countries itt the. jworhi in these matters. - ' In any cue, i<hii most hack ward in. the . British feapire. " '■ * •»! the present time Canada (1918), TO* fomi.K.tiul (1919), South Africa Mi'di (1927), and .Australia t'ssuod and used special air mail jt-Mf.jpf, ;iu.i the following countries fintl'*) issued special stickers over the 1 rounter to be put on all lettlorti: to be carried by air mail:—Eng;l'JC<l'. rndia (1920), Iraq (1922), |'|.i)23). It is surely time that Zealand Poatjil ; s4rttf>4Bto line and ghrp the facrn ies onjoyeS already by the ■pt! 'the ivrogressive countries of the ppwld,— Y'iu:n, etc., WILFRID PEERS, Honorary Secretary, Christchurch Philatelic Society. July J Ith, 1929.