GOODS SENT BY AIR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25134, 15 March 1947, Page 2

GOODS SENT BY AIR

ALTERNATIVE TO SEA FREIGHT HIGHER COSTS; SAVINGS IN TIME Because of accumulations of goods in warehouses and factories and the slow turn-round of coastal vessels trading between the North and South Islands, businessmen are turning their attention to air services. Freight costs on an average are something like 50 per cent, higher, but this is often worth paying on goods that reach the market in days instead of’ weeks or even months because of periodic shipping delays. This may be a passing phase, but air freight will always be useful to shippers of some classes of freight, particularly perishable goods. The opening of an air freight service by the Railway Department in conjunction with its express rail freight services has opened up new possibilities. High-priced goods such as strawberries ana flowers have been carried economically by the air parcels services operating for the last 10 years; airrail freight makes possible the carriage of Brussels sprouts from South Canterbury to Wellington. There is' little delay in the shipping by sea of perishable goods because these are carried on the steamer express, but time can be saved by using air-rail services in particular cases. National Airways is continuing the air parcels service that was operated by Union Airways. After the goods have been unloaded from the Lodestars at the airport they are taken to the city, where delivery is given. This is the best air service for small parcels where it is available. The air parcels service run by the Railway Department in conjunction with the passenger-carrying Dakotas, serves a much wider field, because parcels can be sent from any railway station to any other station. It is much dearer on small parcels than National Airways, 2/6 a pound, compared with 5d a pound between Christchurch and Wellington, but the National Airways charge is on a flat rate, irrespective of quantity, while the railway charge goes down progressively till the minimum rate of 3£d a pound is reached on a consignment of lewt.

Both these services are too costly for some types of goods, which are better catered for by the railway freight service with an air link between Woodbourne and Paraparaumu. This is a little slower than either of the parcels services, but is cheaper, rail freight plus 14 d a pound for the Cook Strait air crossing. The charges on a typical 281 b package (of two cubic feet) between Christchurch and Wellington are as follows: National Airways, Ils 8d; air-rail parcels, 9s 9d (including delivery charge); airrail goods, 5s 2d.

National Airways accepts parcels in Christchurch for Wellington up to 8.50 a.m. (arriving at’ Wellington 10.30 a.m.) 9.15 a.m. (10.45 a.m.). and noon <2 p.m.). The air-rail parcels service to Wellington accepts goods up to 7.30 a.m., and they are in Wellington by 1.30 p.m. Freight for the air-rail goods service via Woodbourne is accepted at Christchurch up to 3.30 p.m., and reaches Wellington the . following morning or afternoon. Connecting with the express goods train, it would normally reach Auckland the following morning, about 36 hours after air parcels consignments.

" Costs Compared. Air-rail freight naturally costs more than sea-rail freight. A typical consignment from Christchurch to Wellington of one ton (160 cubic feet) would cost £l5 0s lOd by air-rail and £9 10s 6d by the sea-rail service. Where goods are bulky rather than heavy the comparison is more favourable to air freight. A Christchurch manufacturer of radio cabinets for a Wellington firm used to pay 3s 9d for each package of two cabinets measuring three cubic feet arid weighing 16 pounds. Because the manufacturer could not get packing materials suitable for a sea voyage, he had to ship at “owner’s risk.” When coastal shipping delays became seriolis he sent the goods by ordinary railway parcels, which cost him 5s 8d a package, and was still subject to some delays. Now he is able to use the air freight service, and the charge is only ss. The charge by National Airways would be 6s Bd, and by railways air parcels 7s. t The Railway Department has alternative space charges to meet' special cases, but they are relatively low, 9d a cubic foot by goods and Is 3d by parcels. The goods service has a condition that special arrangements must be made for consignments of over ,4cwt, but it has already carried such cumbersome items as pianos and hospital kitchen sink equipment. Each Dakota on the Paraparaumu-Wood-bourne run has a payload of over three tons.

Offsetting the higher cost of air transport are substantial savings in packing costs and in losses by damage and pillaging.