AROUND THE WORLD.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 15639, 5 October 1921, Page 5

AROUND THE WORLD.

MAILS BY SEA AND AIR: A STRANGE COINCIDENCE, Major C. J. Glidden, president of tlie World Board of Aeronautical Commissioners, lias written to the Minister for Defence (Sir Ik Heaton Rhodes), advising him thqt - two of the letters sent, around the world westward by steamer, for purposes of comparison -with an air-mail-service—one via Japan, Ceylon, and England, and, the other via New Zealand and England—both arrived in New York at 9 a.m. on August 22nd, a coincidence that might not recur once in a thousand years. The letter sent eastward via New Zealand arrived in New York just seven days later; but at the time of writing (August 29th), tlie fourth letter, sent eastward via Japan, Ceylon, and England, had not reached New York. The four letters were all despatched from New York by their respective routes on May 10 last. The two west-ward-travelling letters occupied 104 days, or 2496 hours in transit. The delay in remailing was about four days, thus making the actual, transit time 100 days, nr 2400 hours. A dirigible, at an average speed of only 50 miles per hour, would make this journey in less than; 500 hours, living night and day; and an aeroplane would do-it in the same time, omitting night, living, stales Major Glidden. The air route around the world, as planned bv the World s .Board o! Aeronautical ’Commissioners, is 22,207 miles.