MAIL FOR ENGLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20484, 10 December 1934, Page 1

MAIL FOR ENGLAND.

New Air Service Begins To-day. EXTENSION TO N.Z. MOOTED. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received December 10, 11.30 am.) SYDNEY, This Day. Nineteen thousand mail items from New South Wales and 5000 from New Zealand left Sydney last night for Cootamundra, whence the first plane from New South Wales will take off this morning. The actual ceremony of the inauguration of the EnglandAustralia air mail service will take place at Brisbane this morning, when the Duke of Gloucester despatches the two planes from Archerfield Aerodrome. The Controller of Civil Aviation, Captain Johnston, stated that the extension of the service to New Zealand was under consideration. HEAVY MAIL CARRIED. 140,000 Letters on Way to Australia. British Official Wireless. (Received December 10, 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, December 8. The air mails despatched from.Croydon to-day are due to reach Brisbane on December 20. The novelty and the lact that the letters will be delivered before Christmas Day probably accounts in some measure for the fact that although the postage cost Is 3d a half-ounce, approximately 140,000 letters were carried, representing £8960 in postage.

The mail will proceed on its journey by stages by air to Paris, by rail to Brindisi, by flying boat of the Scipio type to Cairo, by Hannibal aircraft to Karachi, by Atlanta aircraft to Singapore, and by a D.H. Diana machine to Brisbane.

Lord Londonderry (Secretary of State for Air), speaking at the inauguration of the England-Australia mail service, said, “We ought not to be content to rest on our present achievement but must press forward to improve and strengthen it to meet the demand which will be made upon us.

“ I do not doubt the ultimate success of our endeavours.”

Lord Londonderry handed to Sir Kingsley Wood (Postmaster-General) letters from their Majesties and the Prince of Wales addressed to the Duke of Gloucester, the Governor-General of Australia (Sir Isaac Isaacs), the Gov-ernor-General of New Zealand (Lord Bledisloe) and others from British to Australasian members of Cabinet. Sir J. Parr (High Commissioner for New Zealand) said: “This is a red letter day in New Zealand’s history. The air mail assists to implement and reinforce the great Ottawa agreement.” Besides letters from their Majesties their Christmas presents to the Duke of Gloucester were sent direct to the ’plane from Sandringham, to be delivered at Auckland.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent sent a huge packet for the Duke of Gloucester. It did not fit the special bag and consequently was handed to the pilots for special care. Hengist took off perfectly within a hundred yards.