AIR MAIL LINKS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 58, 6 September 1934, Page 11

AIR MAIL LINKS

TO COVER BRITAIN

The Postmaster-General is contemn! plating the linking-up of every one> of the great cities and towns'of Great Britain and Ireland by air mail in thai: near future, says . the "Daily Tele* j, graph." Sir Kingsley Wood is pre-< ■■ pared to go a long way. If the publiofcj support him, and if the air services aie£.. available, he is prepared to bring aboutjjfi a speed-up in postal delivery ahnosffunequalled in the last century. The new air routes being arranged^ by the railway companies have given?' him his first opportunity. : '' Sir Kingsley Wood would like it • tflj ; bo emphasised that the first contract isf ■being given to the railway companies) purely because a number of regular; passenger services organised by then* are shortly to be in existence," said » G.P.O. official. ' ' ■

"If any other companies organisal new routes their claims to carry thai mails will bo given every consideration* So long as they guarantee reliability] and a saving of time, they will stand a| good chance of being .■ accepted." The times for the new air-mail facili* ties depend on the arrangements mads', by Bailway Air Services, the company, formed last March, to co-ordinate tha railway companies' aerial enterprises. It was pointed out, however, that Iho new facilities will make it possible for a letter posted in London to be read in) Birmingham and replied to, and the reply read in London, all in the same day. Nearly twenty-four hours wil.l thus be saved to correspondents. A similar speeding-up will be available between. Cardiff and Plymouth and between" Birmingham and Southampton. A large part of Sir Kingsley Wood'^ : scheme rests on the appointment of aii - air-mail adviser and the addition oft - extra members, with a knowledge off flying conditions, to his advisory; council. " '''. They, will probably be asked to con* sider how best to cut down the "tor*.' initial times," of which the full hpuc taken to get the mail parcels from tha Central G.P.O. into the aeroplane at» Croydon is an example. An official of Bailway'Air Services said that the new air services between; Birmingham and Southampton would,' come into operation shortly. "The seryico will, also call at Bristol ' and ; Cowes," he said. "Aeroplanes will . leave Birmingham at 9.35 and 2.15, ai> ; riving at Southampton a hundred min-i. utcs later. They will return from Southampton at 12.20 and -5.15. • "The service between Plymouth^Cardiff, Birmingham, and Liverpool is already in operation. ; There is one machine in each direction each dayy;" leaving Liverpool at 8.20 and returning - from Plymouth at 4.10. The main, scr« * vice connecting London with Binning* ham, Manchester, the Isle of Man, Bel* .'. fast, and Glasgow will be.opened 500n..----"We have already ordered six new aeroplanes to operate these routes. They are two-engined De Havilland ' Dragons, capable of carrying eight passengers in'addition to the mail." (