DELAY TO MAILS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20646, 19 August 1930, Page 12

DELAY TO MAILS.

LITTLE LOSS OF TIME. COMMERCIAL FIRMS' ANXIETY. DUPLICATE LETTERS REQUIRED. The advice that six bags of the Tahiti's letter mail have been lost has caused anxiety in a number of Auckland commercial houses in which files will have to bo searched in readiness to prepare duplicates, for despatch by the next mail, of letters sent by the lost liner. Up to a few years ago it was customary to forward duplicate copies of', all overseas letters by the next mail in case of anything untoward happening to the originals. Tho regularity of the mail services, however, caused tho' practical abandonment of tho practice and only in a few instances where the subject is of great importance is the trouble taken'to forward duplicate copies of correspondence. Although it is a matter of conjecture at present, tho probability is that tho Tahiti's letter mail, which was duo in London Sn September 11, will not bo delayed moro than a week. Tho Tahiti, in the ordinary course, should havo reached San Francisco on August 29 and the Ventura one day earlier. Just what delay the Ventura will suffer is unknown hero at present. She spent a few hours short of two days in returning to succour the Tahiti. Allowing for a day at Pago Pago to discharge huv cargo and passengers, crew and mails from the Tahiti, it will possibly take her . about three days all told to get back on to her normal course for Honolulu. Postal officials in Auckland consider that tho mails should not meet any additional delays after reaching San Francisco. They will bo despatched at once to New York by train and with the largo number of vessels leaving Now York for Southampton there should bo no difficulty in making a quick connection.

CONFUSION OF TIMES. INTERNATIONAL DATE LINE. REASONS FOR VARIATIONS. The fact that tho disaster that has befallen tho Tahiti occurred on tho far side of tho international dato line, which is a comparatively short distanco east, of tho Dominion, has caused considerable confusion in tho minds of those New Zealanders who forgot that allowance must bo made for differences in tho dates and hours between the Tahiti's time and New Zealand time. Taking the Tahiti's reckoning, the vessel met with her mishap at 4 o'clock on Friday morning and she sank at half past four on Sunday afternoon. By New Zealand reckoning the accident happened at half past lour on Saturday morning and tho vessel went under at 5 o'clock on Monday afternoon. In to day's account in the Hkrald of the loss of tho vessel tho times and dates given aro those for New Zealand. Tho international dato lino was fixed at tho 180 th meridian by mariners as a convenience in adjusting times and dales with Greenwich, tho international control. New Zealand is regarded as< being cast of Greenwich and our timo is 11£ hours ahead of Greenwich. Tho timo on a ship going to America from New Zealand and just on tho date lino would thcreforo bo 12 hours ahead of Greenwich. All places on tho other side of the lino aro reckoned as being west of Greenwich and their timo is therefore behind that of Greenwich. Thus Monday on tho Now Zealand side of the lino is Sunday on the, other side.

MOTORISTS ON BOARD. MUCH-TRAVELLeO >CAR. Tho Tahiti's passengers'' included : tlie iwo Now Zealanders, ~ Mr. Hector MacQuarrio and Mr. R. Matthews,... who ro : cently completed the trip- 'through the bush from l Sydney to Capo northern part of Australia,' in a sniftll. car. After a lecture tour through New Zealand the two motorists were travelling round the world in tlioir ear which, no doubt, has been lost with tho Tahiti.