The Press THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1938. Cheaper Air Mails

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22305, 20 January 1938, Page 10

The Press THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 1938. Cheaper Air Mails

When the flying-boat service from England to New Zealand comes into operation, all first-class mail between the two countries will be carried by air without surcharge. That is, a letter carrying only a penny stamp will reach London from New Zealand in eight days instead of about a month. It should be obvious that the value of this change to New Zealanders generally and to the business community in particular will be enormous. Yet members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, to judge by the discussion reported in “ The Press ” yesterday, view the change with suspicion and even hostility. What impresses them is not the commercial and social importance of being able to get a letter to England in a little more than a week without extra charge but the danger that letters will be lost in transmission. They are even disposed, it appears, to demand the right to send first-class matter either by sea or by air. It must be hoped that the Chamber of Commerce, as a body, will think carefully before it supports this request. For it is clear that, unless all first-class mail goes by air, it will not be possible, on grounds of cost, to eliminate the surcharge on air mails. And if it is a choice between abolition of the surcharge and retention of the right to choose between sea and air transmission, there can only be one answer. Admittedly air transport is at present more risky than sea transport. But the existing risks of air transport are not sufficiently serious to justify rejection of cheap air mails and are m any case being rapidly reduced. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce is no doubt right to investigate criticisms of the air mail scheme, but its members might reasonably be expected to show more appreciation of the enterprise and farsightedness of the British Government's policy.