AIR MAIL DELAYS

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 March 1946, Page 4

AIR MAIL DELAYS

CRITICISM OF AUCKLAND AS TERMINUS COMPLAINTS IN SYDNEY (N.Z.P.A. Special Australian Correspondent) SYDNEY, March 20. Recent delays in the air mail service between Australia and New Zealand were due entirely to bad weather over the Tasman, which caused the schedule to operate a day late all last week. . a ■ Complaints from business firms m Sydney using the air mail to New Zealand allege that in some instances it took longer for air mail letters to reach Wellington and the South Island firms than surface letters did before the war, in spite of the fact that the actual crossing time by air is a tenth of that taken by ship. Some Sydney firms regard it as unfortunate that the flying-boat goes to Auckland, because of the long journey, then necessary before mail reaches' South Island towns. Even persons and firms in Auckland derive no benefit for the flying-boat arrives there too late to catch that day’s delivery. A contributory factor was the failure of the Post Office here to advise of the delay. Letters posted on Friday lay in Sydney until Monday. Others, posted in accordance with advertised times, took four to five days before they reached their addresses in New Zealand. This was an unfortunate lengthening of a service which cannot even in normal times be regarded as speedy. It is only within the last few weeks that the mail closing time was altered to 6 p.m. on the day before the flight. Previously mail closed 15 hours before the flying-boat was due to take off.