Empire Air-mail Service

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 53, 5 March 1935, Page 7

Empire Air-mail Service

Compulsory Carriage Of First-class Mail

DELEGATES’ DELIBERATIONS IN AUSTRALIA

Per PreSs Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night

“Until I submit to the 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 an Empire airmail service, I am afraid I can add little to what has already been cabled,” said Hon. A. Hamilton (PostmasterGeneral) when he was interviewed on the arrival of the Monowai to-dqy.

The Minister of Defence and the Administrator of Civil, Aviation (Hon. Archdale Parkhill) presided, at .the conference, the other .Australian representatives being Senator Hon. A. J. McLauchlan (Postmaster-Genera! for the Commonwealth), Mr. H. P. Brown (Director-General of Postal Services), Mr. H. B. Harry (Chief Inspector of Postal Services), Captain Johnston (Coutfoller of Civil Aviation) and Mr. 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 Ed■ward Campbell, M.P. (Parliamentary Private Secretary to tho PostmasterGeneral) and Mr. Loci Guinness, M.P. (Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Under-Secretary for Air). Mr. G. McNamara (Director<Jencral of the Post and Telegraph Department) was the other New Zealand delegate. “An Empire air-mail scheme, which envisages making compulsory the carriage in 1937 of all first-class mail matter by air was fully explained by the British delegates,” said Mr. Hamilton, “and the whole of the deliberations were conducted in a most friendly spirit. It was but natural that many points of difference arose on which it was not possible for the conference to reach finality until further information was obtained on essential matters that were brought out in the discussions on the broad issue. However, both Australia and New Zealand agreed to the principle embodied in the basis of the scheme and the delegates are now reporting to their respective Governments.

Messrs Bertram and Guinness will return to England by air and anticipated 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 remain for 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 inaugurating of the 1937 scheme. On this proposal, as is the case with the larger scheme, much data will be required before finality can be reached, and the necessary particulars will be immediately prepared for submission to the authorities of both countries.” '