AIR MAIL DELAYS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 58, 11 March 1935, Page 7

AIR MAIL DELAYS

ON EMPIRE ROUTE WESTRALIAN SUBSIDIARY A SECOND ACCIDENT. [B/ Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) ?-ERTH, March 9. The aeroplane on the Perth-Daly Waters service, which was carrying the West Australian section of the English mail to connect with the Eng-land-bound air-mail aeroplane at Darwin, has had a further accident As stated yesterday, the Perth-Daly Waters aeroplane was held up at Fitzroy Crossing. Later it landed on sodden ground at "Wyndham, overturned, and was extensively damaged. Thf» pilot and the passenger were not injured. The result is the England-bound aeroplane, after a delay at Darwin of over twenty-four hours, will now leave Darwin without the Westerv Australian mail. INCOMING AIR MAIL LATE AT SYDNEY. SYDNEY, March 9. The incoming English air mail is due on Sunday, forty-eight hours behind schedule. TRANSTASMAN LINK SIR CHARLES’ COMING VISIT SYDNEY, March 8. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith will sail in the Wanganella to-morrow to discuss with Dominion authorities the transtasman air service, for which he will be a tenderer, provided he is allowed to use the machines which he I regards as suitable. TENTATIVE AGREEMENT AUSTRALIAN APPROVAL. WELCOMED IN BRITAIN. Received March 10, 7.20 p.m. LONDON, March 10. I The Times welcomes as an important |step to finality the Australian Cabinet’s approval of the tentative air service agreement, and says there will be no difficulty about the adhesion of New Zealand when Australia decides to come in. The Times adds: “The scheme will increase to more than five million miles the annual mileage flown by Imperial Airways. It will also involve a vast amount of preparatory work, some of which is already in hand.” Sir Eric Geddes, addressing the Press Club, said the assistance of the Post Office by the Air Ministry would enable air mails to be carried throughout the Empire for three-halfpence an ounce, and at a much less proportional subsidy. Imperial Airways operated on a lower subsidy than any similar enterprise, and when the Empire Governments accepted the new scheme the percentage of subsidy to earned revenue would be halved. A wave of speed hysteria had swept over the world’ after tho Melbourne air race. Safety, comfort, reliability and the reduction of strain were equally essential, and the new Empire aeroplanes provided these. It would cost £500,000 to increase the speed from 100 to 200 miles an hour on a seven or ten days’ route, whereas the total civil vote was only £600,000. Moreover, the increase would save only one day on the journey. It was not worth going entirely for speed or frequency. That was going headlong to bankruptcy.