THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1935 POSTAL SERVICES BY AIR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22046, 28 February 1935, Page 10

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1935 POSTAL SERVICES BY AIR

Not many years ago any suggestion of an air-mail rate of a penny or two per half-ounce from England to the South Seas would have been deemed utterly fantastic; yet that idea is being seriously discussed by an authoritative conference in Sydney. The present interest in such a proposal is directly due to the Melbourne centenary air race. This impressively. demonstrated the possibility of linking England and Australia by a fast service in machines designed for commercial purposes, and for this Dominion there was material for practical thought in the fact that one of the successful aircraft, although not specifically so designed, came on across the Tasman to New Zealand. Our own Post-master-General, now attending the conference, has added to' his congratulation of the Commonwealth Government on Australia's development of aviation a hopeful word about this country's eventual sharing of an all-airway postal service connecting it with Britain: the flight to New Zealand by Squadron-Leader Hewett and Flying-Officer Kay after competing in the air race, he has said, demonstrated the feasibility of linking up the Dominion with, the great Empire air services. But there was practical attention to this possibility before the air race, as he instanced in acknowledging the pioneering work of Sir Charles Kings ford Smith and the late Mr. C. T. P. Ulm. New Zealand must wait for full participation in this development until the remaining Australian difficulties are overcome; but these are few, and in the meantime, even if the Tasman crossing by flight should remain for a while in an experimental stage, an adequate! marine connection with the England-Australia air mail can enhance the benefits already enjoyed here. The present composite service, which has enabled a 17-day transmission to be achieved, is better than our best mail by sea. It is believed that the conference has dis- 1 cussed the question of a transTasmau air service, considering a proposal for a weekly mail. Should that prove feasible, it will be a great advance.

It ought to be recognised that the conference is handling affairs not yet within the scope of immediate achievement. Some time must elapse before the full scheme outlined by the British delegation can be put into operation. It envisages the cheap carriage of all first-class mail. This will involve the use of larger as well as speedier machines on the south-eastern portion of the England-Australia route, and means heavy cost in providing them. About the technical accomDlishment in the construction of suitable aircraft there need be no doubt. Commercial aviation has made rapid progress in recent years, and is now making accelerated progress. It is a commonplace of daily life in Europe and the United States. Transport companies are preparing a comprehensive network of air services in Britain: beginning in May next, these will connect London, Hull, Aberdeen, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin, Carlisle, Kirkwall, Lerwick and Wick. There has been remarkable progress in night flying, especially in the United States, where nearly half the flying is done by night. This American development, it has been pointed out, is aided by the existence of a large number of big cities ideally placed for air transport, while the volume of traffic that can be attracted is enormous. Moreover, petrol there is cheap, and one language and one currency, as well as one political system, are advantageous factors. Europe, however, has an area roughly no greater than that of the United States, with large centres as conveniently placed, and progress there is so considerable that the best European air services are quite comparable with those in the States. In efficiency the services of Imperial Airways have a splendid record. Occasionally, public attention is naturally fastened on reported mishaps in different parts of the world, but numerically they are only a very small fraction of aerial experiences. When the proßpects of meeting the demand for efficient craft of the right sort on the England-Australia route are soberly considered, they are undoubtedly favourable. Economic factors, nevertheless, must dominate the outlook on this route and its extension across the

Tasman. Speed and volume of traffic are related, and both have to do with revenue. When conveyance of mails by air is under discussion, the fact that "commercial aviation is not philanthropy and there is no virtue in high speed for its own ■sake" must be faced. Hence the question of the postal rate. At present, "the postage and air-mail fee com bined is Is 6d per each £oz." within the Empire, and it is proposed that the charge should be reduced to lid. Obviously this cannot be done without a considerable Government subsidy ; at Ihe conference the coat to the Australian Commonwealth for the larger aircraft needed by the overseas service has been put at about £200,000 a year. This aspect of the matter calls for careful thought. A move is afoot to strike a compromise rate of 2id. Even if it were made 3d there would be so marked a reduction that a very large: quantity of first-class mail is a likely result. Conjecture, however, plays a large part in such estimates. In any event, the British PostmasterGeneral has intimated that the reduction he proposes is not expected to take effect until 1937, and by that time all the possibilities can be thoroughly examined. ,Sir Frederick Williamson, of the British delegation to the conference —he is Director of Postal Services—has spoken optimistically, but his further statement, "It is a great Imperial scheme, and there has never been anything really like it before," is to be underlined. The scheme is attractive, yet it amounts to an experiment needing care in ordering its initial details.