AIR MAIL TO ENGLAND

Grey River Argus, 14 May 1935, Page 5

AIR MAIL TO ENGLAND

FINAL ARRANGEMENTS Daylight Flight to New Plymouth SMITH DELAYED BY STORM (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 13. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith has cabled the Director General of the Post and Telegraph Department that, owing to winter conditions, he "proposes to make a daylight flight in connection with the Silver Jubilee transTasman crossing. This, he reports, should mean that the planes will arrive at New Plymouth at approximately 8 p.m. on Tuesday, unless very adverse weather is encountered. To provide an indication of the weight of correspondence which will have to be carried on the return trip, the aviators will appreciate early posting of the souvenir first covers of the all-air New Zealand —England flight. This will facilitate not only the return crossing of the Tasman, but the arrangements for continuing air tran sit from Aifetralia to the countries covered by the service. Sir Charles has fixed the time of the take-off from New Zealand for dawn on Monday next, May 20, from the Ninety Mile Beach, and any all airmail. which reaches Auckland by Saturday, can be included in the flight. SYDNEY, May 12. Flying-Officer B. Shiel will be copilot with Captain Taylor, in the “Faith in Australia” on the Jubilee air mail flight. On his Jubilee air mail flight to New Zealand and back, Sir C. Kingsford Smith will carry a letter addressed to the King at Buckingham Palace. The stamps on the envelopes will include a special Australian Jubilee stamp depicting His Majesty mounted l on a charger. The stamps will be postmarked in Australia and New Zealand. His Majesty is a keen philatelist. START DELAYED. UNTIL TO-MORROW. NEW PLYMOUTH, May 13. The start of Sir C. Kingsford Smith’s trans-Tasman Jubilee air mail flight has been postponed till Wednesday, according to a cable received this evening by Mr S. E. Nielson. The reason given is that there is unfavourable weather over Tasman Sea. Storm in Mid-Tasman 10,000 N.Z. ENVELOPES. FROM STAMP COLLECTORS. (Aus. ana N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received May 13 at 10.20 p.m.) ‘SYDNEY, May 13. i Sir C. Kingsford Smith, acting on advice of the Government Meteorologist, has postponed his Tasman Sea flight until Wednesday morning, owing to an intense disturbance in the centra of Tasman Sea. The postal authorities here have acquiesced in the postponement. Sir C. Kingsford Smith said that if his equipment were modern, he would take off to-morrow, as he had arrang ed, in order to prove the feasibility of a regular trans-Tasman mail service. In the circumstances, he appreciated the generous attitude of the Postal Department. Ten thousand envelopes for the Jubilee air mail, which will leave for New Zealand in the “Southern Cross” and “Faith in Australia” on Wednesday, have arrived in Sydney from Dominion philatelists. NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE. (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, May 13. W. S. Kilner Walker, aircraft engineer, and the travelling representative of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, arrived to-day, on a special mission to supervise the assembly of Vickers-Vildebeast bombers, ordered by the New Zealand Government and to give general instruction on the engines. He will probably be in New Zealand for three months or more. Twelve machines were ordered, and some of them are already landed at Auckland for assembly at Hobsonville.