EMPIRE AIRMAIL

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 242, 9 July 1938, Page 13

EMPIRE AIRMAIL

Cost Of Scheme To New Zealand

BENEFIT TO PUBLIC ‘Twelve Letters Instead Of One For 1/6 The cost to New Zealand for the conveyance of malls on the Empire air service Australia-England and on the branch to South Africa will be £5-1,000 per annum (New Zealand currency), and when the trans-Tasman service is operating the cost will be increased to aj> proximately £lOO,OOO per annum. This announcement was made yesterday by the Postmaster-G. neral, Hon. F. Jones, who said that the expenditure would not be recovered from increased revenue or from savings in the cost of forwarding mails by sea. On the present-esti-mates, and allowing for more revenue and for savings on surface . transport, it was anticipated that < the expenditure would exceed the revenue by £40,000. ' “Under the new arrangement,’’ said the Minister, "the public will be able to send to England by air 12 letters for 1/6, as against only one for 1/0 under the existing airmail arrangement; and not only that, but the transit time will be progressively reduced until, with the spanning of the Tasman by air, letters will reach England in not more than 10 days after leaving New Zealand, or in one-third of the time taken at present by ordinary means. “There will be an immediate improvement in respect to transit time between New Zealand and Great Britain and Ireland, South Africa, India and Malaya, to name the more important British countries on the route; in respect to Canada there will bp consider able advantage in using the air service ; while, of course, immediately the Tasman is spanned by air the service to Australia will be almost equal to a cable service. .

Appeal for Public Support.

“For many years the average transit time of New Zealand mails to the Motherland has been 30 days, and I am certain that the postage adjustments will not be objected to when it is realised that the transit time on the Empire service is to be reduced immediately by at least half and later by two-thirds, and that participation in the ‘all-up’ scheme means appreciable additional cost to the Post Office for mail carriage.

“I feel sure, however, that no New Zealander would desire that this country stand aloof from participation in the Empire scheme because it involves a small increase in postage, and I trust the public will show appreciation of the vastly improved service by increasing the volume of their letter postings. "Advantage of the change has been taken to introduce in the letter-post (except in the meantime to Australia) two distinct postage rates—the 14d. rate to British countries, most of which will now be served by air, and the 2Jd. rate to all foreign countries (except Egypt). Experience has demonstrated the desirability of having one simple rate for each group. At present the letter rates to foreign countries vary, with the result that much correspondence is insufficiently prepaid and requires to be surcharged. This causes annoyance to sender and addressee alike." Empire Destinations, The Minister said that, under the “all-up” scheme all letters for Empire destinations on the air route would be forwarded by air. This followed the practice in Great Britain, where, as in New Zealand, the whole of the financial arrangements were based upon complete diversion of * letter mails to the new service—in other words, the use of the air as the normal means of dispatch. To have continued alternative letter mails by sea to Empire countries on the route would have made it necessary to fix higher rates on the Empire service, as the new amounts to be paid by way of contribution and mail payment were fixed and any expenditure on sea transport would be additional. “All articles other than letters will go by sea,” said the Minister. “The business community will, no doubt, be Interested to know that a wide range of legal and insurance documents, and bills of lading, and the like come within the ‘commercial paper’ definition, and if posted as commercial papers will go by sea. Such packets' may not be gummed down, but they may be securely tied with string so long as sealing is not practised, and they may be registered. The overseas commercial paper rate of postage is a minimum of 2Jd. for lOoz. For confirming letters, I recommend dispatch of copies a week later on the air route.

"Now that the normal means of conveyance is by air, insurance on the Empire service will be effective as in the ease of letters sent by surface means. This means that in the case of England, for example, letters may be insured up to a limit of £-100. This signifies the confidence of the Government in the new service.”

SERVICE TO SYDNEY

Augmented Steamer

Service

The opinion that no Empire air-mail' service could be considered at all satisfactory to New Zealand until the air service was extended across the Tasman Sea was expressed yesterday by Captain S. Holm, vice-president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

Commenting on the new airmail service between England and New Zealand, to be inaugurated after July 26, Captain Holm said that concern had been expressed in the past because of the frequent occasions when airmails had missed steamship connections. With the withdrawal of the Awatea from the Hummer time-table, the position appeared likely to arise again, but on being approached officials of the Union Steam Ship Company had given an assurance that arrangements would be made for the running of throe trips each 28 days, as compared with two trips in previous winter time-tables. The chief postmaster had given the chamber’s transport committee, of which Captain Holm was a member, an assurance that every opportunity would be taken to dispatch mails by cargo vessels as well as regular passenger ships. Captain Holm added that the chamber had never wavered from its firm opinion that Wellington was the most suitable point for the rapid distribution of airmails from overseas. “The chamber has had no reason whatever to change its opinion that Wellington harbour offers landing and handling facilities second to none in Australia or New Zealand,’’ he said.