AERIAL MAIL

Patea Mail, Volume XLIII, 16 July 1919, Page 4

AERIAL MAIL

NORTH ISLAND SERVICE An aerial mail service for Hie North and .South Islands is at present being mooted partly through the failure of the train service. For the North Island the suggestivi direct route to Auckland is via Wanganui, !)•'] miles due north of Wellington, and almost in straight line between Wellington and Auckland. The next flight in this route, from Wanganui to Auckland, is 2.15 miles. From Wanganui to New Plymouth is SO miles. The air line between Wellington and Pal-mer.-.tun is SO miles. It is suggested that Napier may be reached cither via Palmcrston or M'nsierton, the Palmer•iton route being the shorter one. From Palmerston also there may bo services to Mastcrton and Wanganui. Ah'.o, there may be a service from Wanganui to Napier. From Napier to Gisborne, the most inaccessible of the important towns in New Zealand, the distance is only 85 miles. Communication by land or sea with this place, is difficult, and unfortunately there arc certain difficulties in the way of communication by air, because the place affords no easy landing for air craft. Other suggested lines are from Nov/ Plymouth to Napier, 185 miles, and New Plymouth to Gisborne, 21(> miles, the longest flight shrown on the maps. From Gisborne northward the route will be via Eotorua to Auckland, and there is a suggestion for a branch line from Eotorua to Opotiki, a little more than half an hour's flight distant. From Auckland the routes are north to Russell, and south-cast to Thames, and thence to Coromandcl. These schemes are yet an c::■■■.■edingly long way from realisation. If a trial should ever be made H ':.'- certain that the beginnings of the scheme'will be small, and that it will then lie some time before such an ambitious programme as that now projected will be attempted by the Port Office.