AIR MAIL SERVICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23055, 4 December 1936, Page 13

AIR MAIL SERVICE

AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND INCREASING USE BY NEW ZEALAND i (Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, Dec. 3. Increasing use is being made of the air mail service from Australia to England by New Zealand correspondents writing to Great Britain. In November 20,262 letters from New Zealand were carried on this service, compared with 14,817 in the same month of 1935. In each month of 1936 the number of letters has been higher than in the same month of 1935 with the exception of May, where the decrease was due to postings, mainly by philatelists, being exceptionally heavy on the jubilee air mail in 1935.

New Zealand correspondence for despatch to countries served by air mail is forwarded to Australia by a steamer leaving New Zealand each week, generally, on a Friday, and leaves Sydney by train on Tuesday night to catch the air service leaving Cootamundra on Wednesdav mornings. The Australian-Singapore section of the service is operated by Qantas Empire Airways, Ltd., with a D. H. Express four-engined air liner of the type used by the Union Airways, Ltd., on its service between Palmerston North and Dunedin. The Indian Trans-Continental Airways, Ltd., and the Imperial Airways, in conjunction, operate the section from Singapore to Karachi, and the last leg from Karachi to London is-flown by the Imperial Airways, Ltd.

Mails leaving Cootamundra on Wednesday morning reach Cloncurry that night and arrive at Darwin on Thursday,. On Friday the planes fly from Darwin to Rambang and Singapore is reached on Saturday. By Suriday night the mails are in Bangkok, and by Monday night in Calcutta. Jodhpur is reached on Tuesday, Sharja on Wednesday, Bagdad on Thursday, Cairo on Friday, Brindisi on Saturday, and London on Monday—l2 days from Svdney and 17 from New Zealand. This service has been readily used this year. Last year the 10,000 mark in postings was passed in only four months. This year there has not been a monthly total under 10,000 excepting that of January, and in October and November the number was over 20.000. October had the record figures for a normal month. The monthly figures for the two years are:—

The inward- overseas air mail also shows a steady increase, but the rate of rise is not so pronounced as that on the outward service. The inward air mail used to exceed the outward; now the two approximately balance month by month.

1935. 1936. January .. 3.490 9,422 February .. 5,768 11,197 March ' .. 6,541 15,275 April .. 4,964 16,469 May .. .. 21,602 16,399 June .. 9,005 17,065 July .. .. 8,919 12.690 August 12,692 18,580 September 8,848 17,185 October 10,180 21.784 November 14.817 20.262