HEAVY FIRST-DAY MAIL

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20387, 30 December 1937, Page 8

HEAVY FIRST-DAY MAIL

BY CLIPPER TO AMERICA AUCKLAND POSTINGS HEAVY INTEREST OF PHILATELISTS (Special to Times.) AUCKLAND. Thursday Including a representative consignment of first-day covers from Hamilton and Waikato philatelists, about 20.000 letters had been lodged at the Chief Post Office. Auckland, by 8 p.m. yesterday for transport by the Pan American Clipper to the United States and intermediate stops on the transocean route. The two postponements of the flight, of course, are expected to augment considerably the amount of mail carried by the ship on the first mail-carrying flight between New Zealand and the United States. Most Letters from Auckland Relatively few covers were brought north by the Union Airways aeroplane, and though fair quantities of mail were received from North Island centres, the bulk of the consignment is coming from Auckland postings, though it is understood that stamp-dealers in the city are executing many commissions for philatelists in the South Island, as well as for enthusiasts in the Australian States.

The Post and Telegraph Department will take only a small part of the proceeds of the sale of air mail stamps, the proportion being fixed by international agreement. The bulk of the amount of the postage will go to Pan American Airways. The air mail postage to San Francisco is 4s 6d for halfounce letters, but the biggest part of the mail will be delivered at Pago Pago, for which the rate is 6d. and at Honolulu, for which the postage is 3s. However, it is apparent that the company’s earnings on the mail carried by the .Clipper -will be considerable. In view of the special circumstances, and the presence of the holidays, the company will hardly be able to gain any reliable Information as to probable earnings on routine trips, TAKING NO RISKS CLIPPER AT RANGITOTO REASONS FOR THE TRANSFER *By Telegraph.—Press Association) AUCKLAND, Thursday •Owing to a stiff blow in the harbour the Samoan Clipper whose return flight to Honolulu was postponed at midnight, was transferred this morning to Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island, which is sheltered from the prevailing north-easterly wind.

A more immediate reason for the transfer was the fact that one of the pleasure boats moored in front of the Pan-American Clipper dragged its anchor during the night. Captain Musick therefore, decided early this morning to take shelter and taxied the Clipper "to Islington Bay. “It pays to be careful,” said Mr Harold Gatty, the special representative of Pan-Ameri-can Airways this morning, and he added it was better to have the Clipper moored in a sheltered spot than to have it where constant vigilance was necessary owing to the possibility of pleasure craft dragging their anchors. The air mail for the Samoan Clipper now totals 21,000 letters. The peak of the rush has passed.