IN FOURTEEN DAYS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 17 September 1934, Page 8

IN FOURTEEN DAYS

MAILS FROM ENGLAND

AIR TRANSIT PROSPECTS

TRANS-TASMAN SERVICE.

Mails from Eingland to Now Zealand in 14 days through the utilisation of aerial transit services, including the regular spanning of the Tasman, are a future possibility visualised by the Postmaster-General, Mr Hamilton, in his annual Post and Telegraph statement to Parliament.

The Minister notes that as a result of the 20 per cent, reduction made in the shipping transit -charges on oversea mails by the recent International Postal Congress, New Zealand will save £SOOO in the cost of forwarding mails to oversea, destinations.

Using the Auckland-Vancouver and We 11 i ngton -San Francisco routes for mails to Britain, the report .shows that the best time from New Zealand was 28.8 days from Wellington via San Francisco, while the London, to New Zealand times in both cases exceeded 30 days. The possibilities of improvement in these times appear to be in the utilisation of air-mail services, and the report mentions the completion of. the arrangement which will give Australia an aerial mail service to Britain which is likely to operate at the end of this year, via Singapore. LONDON TO SYDNEfY. “The extension to Singapore,”. remarks the Postmaster-General, “is of no benefit to New Zealand owing to the absence of suitable connecting steamers, but the through service to Australia, when in operation, will offer great possibilities. The time-table for the Australia-Singapore route has not yet been announced, but with the speeding-up recently accomplished on the London-Singapore route, it is expected that Sydney will be reached from London in less than a fortnight, bringing mails to New Zealand in 17 ers to and from New Zealand a contribution of £SOOO per annum will be made by New Zealand in the proportion of 'three-fifths to the Government of Great Britain, and two-fifths to the Government of Australia.”

“Further, it seems not improbable, in view of the several successful trams-. Tasman flights which have been made, particularly in recent months, that before many years have passed the Eng-lish-Australia service will be extended to New Zealand, thus providing a connection that should reduce to not more than 14 days the time between New Zealand and the Homeland, which is a little less than half the average time now taken in the transit of mails from New Zealand to Eingland, via North America. NEW ZEALAND GRANT.

“The importance to New Zealand of the extension to Australia of the Eng. land-India air service has been recognised in a tangible way by the Government. On the inauguration of, the through service, and on the understanding that suitable connections will be maintained in Australia with steamers to and from New Zealand in the proportion of three-fifths to the Government of Great Britain, and twofifths to the Government of Australia.”

Commenting on the crossings of the Tasman bv air during the year, the report states that these journeys have been made with such assurance and success as tot suggest that the time is not far distant when a regular transTasman air mail will he operating.