Quick Service for Mail Distribution

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 71, 25 March 1936, Page 4

Quick Service for Mail Distribution

THE FIRST FROM OVERSEAS. SAVING OF A,DAY. Per Press Association. BLENHEIM, Last Night. The first instance of the newlyinstituted inland airmail services expediting the distribution of overseas mails occurred this morning when the Kaiwarra arrived at Ficton direct from Sydney carrying a considerable quantity of overseas air mail. With Blenheim as the co-ordinating point of the nir services, the local postal officials were able to effect a saving of at least a day in the distribution of the mail. Immediately the Kaiwarra berthed at 7 o’clock this morning she was boarded by members of the Blenheim postal staff, who took delivery of the air-mail bags. These were Tiished by motor-lorry to Blenheim, where sorting for the different centres wars undertaken. Notwithstanding the short time available the Christchurch-Dun-edin mail was dispatched at 0.45. The mail for the Wellington district was sent at 12.15, and a machine for Palmerston North and northwards left, at 2 p.m. All this strikingly confirms the Post-master-General’s statement at Wanganui respecting overseas mail, as with the boat reaching the northernmost point of the South Island at 7 a.m. the mail was landed at Christchurch, at 10.55 and Dunedin at 32.37.

The Inland Service PHILATELIC INTEREST. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. In the first complete week of the neu inland air-mail services, 37,321 letters were carried. Details of the business for each day are given in a statement by the Postmaster-General (the Hon. F. Jones), showing that on the opening day the philatelic interest produced a fairly heavy weight of correspondence, and this was also noticeable on the following day. Details for the first week are as follows: —Monday, March 10, 22,102, weight 3051 b.; Tuesday, 37th, 5503, weight 1071 b.; Wednesday, 38th, 2417, weight 641 b.; -Thursday, 39th, 2362, weight 721 b.; Friday, 20th, 2392, weight 731 b.; Saturday, 2.lst, 1258, weight 351 b.; Sunday, 22nd, 1197, weight 241 b.; totals, 37,321, 6801 b. The routes covered were (hose of the Union Airways: Palmerston North-Blenheim-Christchurch-Dunedin and reverse, and the Cook Strait Airways: Weilington-Blenheim-Nelson and reverse. Saturday’s and Sunday’s figures were affected by adverse weather which caused cancellation of somo of the Cook Strait crossings.