MAILS BY AIR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22988, 16 March 1938, Page 14

MAILS BY AIR

OVERSEAS DESPATCH

ANNUAL TOTAL 300,000

POSTAGE CHARGES OF £15,000

GREAT NEED FOR REDUCTION

High rates for air mail letters sent ovorsr-as from New Zealand now result in an annual expenditure of £15,000 by the public and business firms in postal (.'haryes. The total amount of air mail sent from the Dominion has trebled since 1931, the figure for 1937 being approximately 300,000 lotters. The rates, however, remain at the same level, in spite of recent Ministerial assurances that a reduction would be made.

The Postmaster-General, the Hon. F. Jones, stated last Juno that "under the scheme which will operate from January 1 next year, the change for sending an air mail letter to England from New Zealand is being reduced to 5d per half-ounc t e. That is a substantial reduction, although it is not the scheme originally visualised —a l£d rate both ways, from England and Australia." He was then referring to the agreement reached at the Imperial Conference concerning the establishment of transtasman air services early in 1938. The tavinstasman services have not materialised, neither has the longawaited reduction.

Scale Unchanged Any hopes of an immediate reduction in the rates seem to be dispelled by tho issue this month of the Post and Telegraph Department's latest schedule of air mail charges. A study of this schedule shows that there is no change in tho scale, which ranges from 9d a half-ounce for letters to Singapore up to 3s Id a half-ounce for air mail to Natal, An important aspect is that in many cases no preferential rates are given for letters sent from New Zealand to other parts of the Empire, particularly to Africa, compared with the rates to foreign countries. It is cheaper, for instance, to send an air mail letter to Holland or to Norway than to Uganda, Kenya or Tanganyika. It costs more to forward a letter to Egypt, which is en routo to Britain, than to send it the full journey to Britain. The charge per halfounce to Natal is fourpence greater than to the Union of South Africa, which is further away from New Zealand. The rate to Greece, Italy or France is Is 9d a half-ounce, although they are separated by many hundreds of miles. Yet it costs threepence extra from the Dominion to send a letter to India instead of to Singapore, places within the Empire to which the preference should be given that is now ao» corded these foreign countries. Lead From Britain

In Britain, progress has been made this year in introducing lid air mail postage between Britain and Malaya Four flying boat services a week now operate between England and India, twj Joeing continued to Singapore. With the three existing flying-boat services each week to Africa, there are seven weekly to Egypt. This reduction in postal rates is described as being "a further step toward a non-surcharge service to Australia and New Zealand."