TASMAN AIR SERVICE

Evening Star, Issue 23560, 26 April 1940, Page 6

TASMAN AIR SERVICE

POSTAGE RATES ANNOUNCED INAUGURAL FLIGHT TUESDAY [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, April 25. The Prime Minister, Hon. P. Fraser, announced to-day that the inaugural flight of the transtasman air service from Auckland to Sydney will be made on Tuesday next. Passengers and air mail will be carried. The return flight from Sydney to Auckland will be made later in the week. The Postmaster-General,. Hon. F. Jones, said to-day that whenever a saving in delivery time could be effected, the mails received by air, and also those connecting with the service outwards, would be conveyed in New Zealand by air, using the curtailed air services now in operation. From Auckland, the point of arrival, mail matter for southern points (except, at times, New Plymouth and district) would be despatched by the limited express on the evening of arrival. From Wellington the South Island portion would be flown if there were any advantage, arriving in Christchurch at 1 p.m., Dunedin at 2.30 p.m., Blenheim at 4.30 p.m., Nelson at 12.30 p.m., and Hokitika at 4 p.m. Air mail for New Plymouth and district would be flown from Audkland when there was any advantage, arriving at 9.15 a.m. In fixing the closing times for outward mails, it was necessary to allow a margin for any censorship. The closing time at the four centres had, therefore, been fixed for midnight on Fridays, while the closing times at other places would be co-ordinated accordingly. _yS . . - Mr Jones said that if it were found in practice that less time' than that allowed was required it might b© possible to fix later closing times, but, on the other hand, it might be necessary to close the mails earlier to ensure that all letters posted before the advertised closing time would make the connection. A great deal would depend on the extent to which the public, including the business public, assisted by the early posting of correspondence. The postage rates on correspondence posted in New Zealand for conveyance by the traustasman service will be as follows: —

Letters and other articles, except parcels, to Australia, 5d for each half ounce and t« 6d to British countries served by Empire air services and also to Egypt and Iraq. Post cards (each half-ounce), 3d and 9d respectively. Where the destination is foreign countries served by the Empire air service the rate will be the existing charges plus a transtasman charge of 6d for each half-ounce for letters and 3d for each post card. These rates will cover conveyance by inland air services wherever used to expedite delivery and despatch.

Mr Jones said that the Commonwealth Post Office had _ also decided, without requiring additional postage, ;to use the air mail services in Australia wherever they would . provide quicker despatch of correspondence conveyed by the transtasman service. It would thus be possible, for example, for a half-ounce letter to be flown from Dunedin to Auckland, conveyed by the transtasman service to Sydney and then despatched by air to any of the State capitals even to Rabaul in the territory of New Guinea for the small amount of 6d.