FIRST ALL AIR ROUTE MAIL

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 8 May 1935, Page 8

FIRST ALL AIR ROUTE MAIL

Will be an Historic Event for New Zealand

“SMITHY’S” TASMAN FLIGHTS SPECIAL JUBILEE COVERS IBy Telegraph—Tress Association.) WELLINGTON, To-day. An 'historic event for New Zealand in connection with the Imperial communications will be the celebration of the King’s Jubilee by the despatch of the first mail from New Zealand to England by a complete all air route. This interesting anticipation of rapid mail communication, which will be regularly provided in less than two years hence, has been made possible by the trans-Tasman flight of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith who, after arriving in New Zealand from Australia in the Southern Cross next week, proposes to leave on the return flight, probably from New Plymouth, on the morning of May .17. Hitherto air mail correspondence on the Australian-Singapore-England route lias had to be conveyed as far as Sydney by steamer, and this is the first opportunity for sending letters by an air route over the whole distance. The New Zealand and Commonwealth authorities and Imperial Airways regard the coming jubilee flight as an historic one in the annals of Empire communication, and are co-operating to provide special facilities to the public for icelebrating this distinctive occasion. A record weight of correspondence is expected from New Zealand, consequently a special machine will be utilised to convey a portion of the mail. The Post Office is providing jubilee first covers for the inaugural New Zea-land-Australia-England air .mail. These first cover envelopes are being made available to-morrow. The charge for letters from New Zealand to England will be 2s Id for each half ounce, and the new air mail stamps arc now available. for use. The pictorial and jubilee issue can also be utilised on this correspondence. Letters posted for the jubilee flight should have the blue air mail label affixed in addition to being superscribed with the name of the flight, “New Zealand-England Air Mail.” The Post Office emphasises the fact that there ir. no arrangement for the forwarding beyond Australia of correspondence for Now Zealand addressees. Letters for this special flight, in addition' to being datestamped at the office of posting, will also be again datestamped on the day of the ’plane’s take-off from New Zealand, and marked with a distinctive cachet.