AIR-MAIL DELAY

Evening Post, Issue 73, 23 September 1936, Page 13

AIR-MAIL DELAY

WAS SYDNEY TO

BLAME ?

BUSINESS MEN'S COMPLAINT

A business firm in Wellington has written to the Chamber of Commerce drawing attention to what it describes as "the unsatisfactory manner in which the air mail is being dealt with." Reference is specially made to the air mails dispatched from London on August 22 and. August 29, which apparently arrived in Sydney sufficiently early for dispatch by the steamer Monterey, which arrived in Auckland on Sunday afternoon, September 20. The mails by the Monterey were delivered in Wellington on Monday morning, September 21. "We have in our office," state the writers, "letters which were addressed to Sydney by the air mails referred to, to a person who came on to Wellington before his mail arrived in Sydney. The letters which were re-direct-ed in Sydney to Wellington came to hand this morning, September 21, ex Monterey, and comprised five air-mail letters dispatched as follows:—August 20, from London; August 21, from Ipswich, England; August 27, from Tunbridge Wells, England; and August 29, from London. The above information is very definite evidence of the very unsatisfactory way in which air mails are being dealt with after arrival in Sydney, for apparently the mails dispatched from London on August 22 to August 29, which evidently arrived in Sydney sufficiently early for dispatch by the Monterey, were held there for dispatch by the Wanganella, due here on September 23. "Further, we would like to draw attention to the unreliable news appearing in the Press, presumably supplied by the Post and Telegraph Department, in regard to the date on which mails are expected to arrive in Wellington. We feel that representations along the lines suggested will be in the interests of business houses generally." Mr. M. G. C. McCaul said at a meeting of the council of the Chamber of Commerce last night that he thought the greatest possible use should be made of the quickest steamer service between Sydney and New Zealand. Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, president, expressed the opinion that if there was any fault in this case, it rested on the Sydney postal authorities. Mr. J. Madden, Chief Postmaster, Wellington, said the mails of August 18 and 20, dispatched from London, were forwarded by air mail, and the liner came down in the desert. The Monterey apparently only brought the Auckland mail from Sydney, and the rest came by the Karetu. In this case the New Zealand Post Office was entirely in the hands of Sydney.