AIR MAIL SERVICES

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 5 March 1935, Page 7

AIR MAIL SERVICES

CONFERENCE AT SYDNEY HON. A. HAMILTON RETURNS VIEWS ON EMPIRE SCHEME (B> Telegrapto—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 4. “Until I submit to tjhe Government and to Parliament a report on my recent mission to Australia where I conferred with the British and Australian delegates on the question of the Empire air mail service, I am afraid I can add little to what has already been cabled,” said Hon. A. Hamilton (Postmaster-General) when interviewed on his arrival by the Monowai to-day. The Minister of .Defence and the Administrator of Civil Aviation (Hon. Archdale Parkhill) presided at the conference, other Australian representatives being Senator Hon. A. J. McLachlan (PostmasterGeneral for the Comonwealtli), H. P. Brown (Director-General of Postal Services), H. B. Harry (Chief Inspector of Post Services), Captain Johnston (Controller of Civil Aviation), and M. L. Shepherd (secretary to the Defence Department). The British delegates who had made the journey by air from London to Sydney were Mr Francis Bertram (Deputy-Director of Civil Aviation), Sir Frederic Williamson (Director of Postal Services), Sir Edward Campbell, M.P. (Parliamentary Secretary to the PostmasterGeneral), and Loel Guinness, M.P. (Parliamentary private secretary to the Under-Secretary for Air). Mr G. McNamara (Director-General of the Post and Telegraph Department), was the other New Zealand delegate. “The Empire air mail scheme, which envisages making compulsory the carriage In 1937 of all first-class mail natter by air, was fully explained by lie British delegates,” said Mr Hamilton, “and the whole of the deliberations were conducted in a. most friendy spirit. It was but natural that nany points of difference arose, on vhich it was not possible for the conference to reach finality until further nformation was obtained on essential natters that were brought out in Che liscussions. On the broad issue, how-! >ver, both Australia and New Zea-| and agreed to the principle embodied I in tiie basis of the scheme, and the' delegates are now reporting to their respective governments. “Mr Bertram and Mr Guinness will return to England by air, and anticipate being able to leave Sydney to-morrow. Sir Frederic Williamson accompanied us on the Monowai on his first visit to the Dominion, where he hopes to re. main about a fortnight. He will be joined next week by his colleague (Sir Edward Campbell). “Subsequent to the conference,” added Mr Hamilton, “I had a meeting with the Australian delegates, when we went fully into the question of initiating mail services across the Tasman Sea prior to the inauguration of the 1937 scheme on this proposal. As is the case with- the larger scheme, mudh data will be required before finality can be reached and the necessary particulars will be imediately prepared for submission to the authoriti?s of both countries.”