MAIL SERVICES OVERSEAS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24020, 7 August 1943, Page 6

MAIL SERVICES OVERSEAS

'DELAYS IN TRANSIT EXPLAINED From Our Own Reporter TIMARU. August 6. An explanation why airgraph and air mail services to members of the New Zealand forces serving overseas were sometimes no quicker in arriving loan surface mails, was given in a letter from the Chief Postmaster at Timaru (Mr C. W. Browne) received at a meeting of tlic' South Canterbury Returned Services' Association. An inquiry about the services had been prompted when an airman's wife asked If the association could discover the reasons why air mail letters to her husband in Canada look as long to arrive as surface mail, said live secretary (Mr W. A. U I,cech i. •"There is no air mad seivicc across the Pacific at I lie present time, and the postage of Is 3d is charged lor air transport in New Zealand to the final port, and I rnin live lii-t port of call in either Canada nr the United States of America to Die destination in cither country.’' said Mr Browne in his reply. “The fee, therefore, includes the postage charges for transport m New Zealand fcv air, and also that levied by the American nr Canadian administrations lor their smw ice ■ II mu-t also tie appreciated that under existing conditions sea transport across the Pacific is irregular. "The writer should al.-o remember that all postage rates —air or otherwise —are fixed by International Convention, and ar« therefore he,\ ond the control of the New Zealand administration. ''The newspaper paragraph concerning the delay m airgraph letters is no doubt aq isolated case,'' lie said. "It must be remembered, however, that, there is no air service between Australia and Egypt, and steamer sailings arc irregular. However. the average time of transmission for airgraphs, to and from the Middle East i:. 20 days.” said Mr Browne.