OVERSEAS MAILS

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 155, 29 December 1925, Page 8

OVERSEAS MAILS

TIME IN TRANSIT

DE. THACKER'S CRITICISM

ANSWERED.

Strong exception is taken by the Post Office authorities to criticism by Dr. H. T. J. Thacker, on his return to Chnstchurch after a trip abroad a few days ago, of the mail facilities between New Zealand and the United Kingdom via Vancouver aud San Francisco. Dr. Thacker complained in the course of an interview in Christchurch that mails from New Zealand via Vancouver took from 35 days to 44 days to be delivered in London, whereas a passenger, if the ship was speeded up, might do the trip in 27 days. He considered that all mails and cables should be speeded up considerably, and that there should be a better transit system for newspapers. Commenting this morning upon Dr. Thacker's complaints, the Secretary of the Post Office, Mr. A. T. Markman, pointed out that the statements made in the interview were not according to fact. He produced official records to show that the average length of time mail matter took in passage from New Zealand to England since January last was 25 days via San Francisco, and that the average over a period of two years via Vancouver was 31 days. The longest trip via Vancouver since last January was 33 days, so that in no instance had the maximum time of passage been as long as Dr. Thacker had stated as a minimum—3s days; Dr. Thicker's error was even wider of the mark when he referred to a trip of 44 days. The shortest passage by the Vancouver route was 29 days. The fastest run this year via San Francisco had been made in 27 days, and the slowest 31, days. NO ADVANTAGE BY AIR. Mr. Markman also pointed out that there.was no advantage to be gained by Dr. Thacker's suggestion that the mails should be expedited by using the air service from San Francisco to New York. He said he had investigated this matter while he was in America some months ago, and he was satisfied that as things were arranged at present tho air service would not teud to advance tho time of arrival of mails in England. Mails were actually carried from coast to coast by air in 36 hours, 13 hours quicker than was stated in tho interview. Dr. Thacker had inferred that by utilising the air service three of four days would be saved and the mails would thus arrive so much sooner in England. This was not the case, however. There would be nothing gained, as there would be a delay in New York awaiting the departure of a fast mail steamer. New Zealand mails arriving in San Francisco on Friday caught a train at 11 a.m. or 4 p.m. on the same'day, according to the time of the Steamer's arrival. They reached New York on the following Tuesday afternoon or evening,' and connected with the trans-Atlantic steamer on Wednesday morning, as the faster boats sailed weekly on that day. On the other hand, if the mails were carried by air they would arrive in New York early on Sunday morning, and would have to wait until Wednesday for the steamer. A slow boat might be caught on the Monday, but that would take nine ; days on the ocean voyage as compar- \ ed with about five and a half days by the fastest vessels. Thus the Wednesday steamer was the more reliable means of transit. The present timetable had all been worked out, and it would be ridiculous to expect the Cunard Line to arrange the movements of its vessels to the convenience of New Zealand mails. Mr. Markman deprecated Dr. Thacker's remarks, and the fact that he should have criticised the present arraiy 'ment irrespective of the facts. The .Department would welcome any useful criticism by which tho overseas mail system could be expedited, but the pit'Eent arrangement was the best that could be devised in the circumstances.