MAILS IN N.Z.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18961, 11 March 1936, Page 15

MAILS IN N.Z.

FASTER SERVICE

USE OF AEROPLANES

The ends of the Dominion are being brought much closer together in a postal sense by the Government’s decision to utilise the air where the accelerated service is desired by the sender. Many intermediate centres also will benefit. The improved transit times through this advance in mail service commencing on Monday, March 16, have been worked out in detail as they apply in a large number of places in the Dominion. The air-mail rate of 2d per ounce for correspondence for delivery within. New Zealand is not a special surcharge, but is the total postage in respect to every article forwarded by air. The service is not limited to letters, but can be utilised for any postal packet where quicker dispatch justifies payment of 2d per ounce. Air-mail .packets should be clearly marked on the top left-hand corner “By Air Mail.” TIME-SAVING EXAMPLES The saving in transit time will vary according to the time of posting arm will be most marked in connection wi(li letters dispatched to distant cities. The time-saving as it will benefit Auckland mails dispatched overnight by express to Palmerston North and thence south by air will amount, to 20 hours for loiters lo Christchurch, 27 hours to Dunedin, and 24 hours to Invercargill. Invercargill correspondence for Christchurch, posted after 12.50 p.rn. will be accelerated by air mail from four to six hours; Die gain in respect to all Wellington mail will be 15 hours; ami lo Auckland 24 hours.

One outstanding improvement arising from the use of aeroplanes on trunk routes is that- customers of the post office will find their time limits foi posting extended very substantially.

The air service between Hokitika and South Westland being the normal method of mail transport, no extra postage is necessary on this route. However, senders of corresposdenee to and from South Westland who wish to take advantage of the accelerated transit, afforded by other air lines used by the post office in New Zealand will require to pay the general air-mail charge of-2d per ounceIn. the meantime it is not practicable to use tiie East Coast, route for air mail between Napier and Gisborne. Delivery in New Zealand of overseas correspondence can be facilitated if the senders pay Id per ounce in addition to the normal charge for postage in the country of origin.

Philatelists have taken keen interest in every distinctive postal development, and will be given an opportunity of obtaining souvenirs of New Zealand’s first regular official air mail, although there are to he no special firsl-dav covers.