LATER CLOSING TIMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27038, 24 March 1949, Page 5

LATER CLOSING TIMES

AUCKLAND-SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE PA WELLINGTON, Mar. 23. Minor time table changes in the British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Auckland-San Francisco service, effective from yesterday, will permit later mail closing times for air letters to countries served by this route. The Postmaster-general, Mr Hackett, said that in Wellington, because it was possible to obtain a connection by an early morning plane to Auckland, mails for the BCPA service which now closed at 4 p.m. on Monday would close at 5.30 a.m. each Tuesday. This meant that the Monday night 9 p.m. clearance of the city and suburban posting boxes would connect with the early Tuesday morning air mail north. Air mail posted in Wellington up to 5.30 a.m. on Tuesday would arrive in San Francisco at 9.48 a.m. on Wednesday. This was a fast service, but it appeared faster than it was in actual fact, because qn the journey the international date line was crossed, and gave a calendar day advantage. The Minister said that at Auckland mails for transit by the BCPA service would be closed an hour and a-half later than at present, at Christchurch four hours later, and at Dunedin two hours and a-half later. The BCPA service is a weekly air mail service, leaving Auckland each Tuesday with mails closing at Christchurch and Dunedin on Mondays, and at Auckland on Tuesdays. The new time table amendment brings the Wellington closing day to Tuesday also.