MAILS FOR BRITAIN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18503, 15 September 1934, Page 5

MAILS FOR BRITAIN

A FASTER SERVICE AERIAL POSSIBILITIES TRANS-TASMAN FLIGTITS (Parliamentary Reporter.; WELLINGTON, this day. A 20 per cent, reduction in shipping transit charges on overseas mails was approved by the. recent International Postal Union Congress. As a result, according to the annual report of the Postmaster-General, New Zealand will save £SOOO in tho cost of forwarding mails to overseas destinations using the Auckland-V ancouvor and Wclling-ton-Sari Francisco routes for mails to Britain. The report shows that the best time from Now Zealand was 28.8 days from Wellington, via San Francisco, while London to New Zealand times, in botli cases, exceeded 30 days. The possibilities of an improvement in these times appear to be in the utilisation of the air mail services, and the report mentions that the arrangement which will give Australia an aerial mail service to Britain i.s likely to operate at the end of this year, via Singapore. “The extension to Singapore,” remarks the Postmaster-General, “is of no benefit to Now Zealand owing to the absence of suitable connecting steamers, but the through service to Australia, when in operation, will offer great possibilities. The time-table for the Australian-Singapore route has not yet been announced; but with the speeding up recently accomplished on the London-Sjngaporc route, it is expected that Sydney will be reached from London in less than a fortnight, bringing mails to New Zealand in 17 or .18 days, if a good connection is made at Sydney with vessels sailing for New Zealand. TIME MAY BE HALVED.

“Further, it seems to be not improbable, in view of several successful trans-Tasman flights which have been made, particularly in recent months, that before many years have passed, the English-Australian service will be extended to New Zealand, thus providing a connection that should reduce the time to not more than 14 days between New Zealand and the Homeland, which is a little less than half the average time now taken in the transit of mails from New Zealand *o England, via North America. “The importance to New Zealand of an extension to Australia of the Eng-land-India air service has been recognised in a tangible way by the Government. On the inauguration of the through service, and on the understanding that suitable connections will be maintained rn Australia with steajners to and from New Zealand, a contribution of £SOOO per annum will be made by New Zealand in the proportion of three-fifths to the Government of Great Britain and two-fifths to the Government of Australia.” Commenting on the crossings of the Tasman by air during 4hc year, the report states that these journeys have been made with such assurance and success as to suggest .that the time is not far distant when a regular trans-Tasman air mail will Ivo operating' _______