F.—l

POSTAL SERVICES INLAND MAIL-SERVICES Contracts for the performance of inland mail-services in the Auckland, Hamilton, and Thames Postal Districts, which expired on the 31st December, 1944, were re-let for a further period of three years from the Ist January, 1945. At the end of December, 1944, there were throughout the Dominion 36,983 rural boxholders, an increase of 1,233 on the figures for the previous year. AIR MAILS Inland For the twelve months ended the 31st March, 1945, the weight of letters carried by air within the Dominion was 176,3981b. In addition, 25,690 parcels were conveyed by the inland air services. On the 6th November, Union Airways, Ltd., extended their South island network to include Invercargill, and on the 26th March the company recommenced the operation of a service Gisborne - Napier - Palmerston North and Gisborne-Auckland. Trans-Tasman Air Service The weight of mail-matter despatched from New Zealand by the Trans-Tasman service during the year was 58,930 lb. Mail-matter conveyed to New Zealand totalled 53,100 lb. The average weight of mail carried on each trip was 351 lb. The frequency of the service was twice weekly during April and May, but in June it was increased to thrice weekly. In addition, during October and November three extra trips each fortnight, or an average of nine trips a fortnight, were performed. Air Letter-card Service Following an increase in the number of aircraft operating over the Perth-Colombo section of the air service between Australia and the United Kingdom it was possible, as from the 26th June, 1944, to utilize this air service for the exchange in both directions of special light-weight air letter-cards for Forces personnel (including members of the Merchant Navy) in the United Kingdom, Middle East, parts of Africa and Asia. On the 24th August the service was extended to include cards for civilian addresses, while later, by making use of military air services operating across the Pacific, it was possible to accept cards addressed to New Zealand Forces personnel in Canada. These light letter-cards are accorded air transmission throughout the whole journey, and, on account of the fast transmission times recorded, have proved to be .most popular with the public. Since the establishment of the service up to the 31st March, 14,385 lb. of cards for all destinations were forwarded from New Zealand. Royal Air Force Transport Command Service On the 13th November, 1944, the Royal Air Force Transport Command commenced the operation of an air service from Montreal to Sydney, via San Diego, Honolulu, Fiji, and Auckland. Only official and troop mails are permitted to be exchanged by this service at present. Ordinary Overseas Air-mails Since the 15th July, 1944, ordinary air-mail correspondence for the United Kingdom, Gibraltar, India, South Africa, &c., has been routed via Australia, the postage-rate being fixed at Is. 6d. a halfounce. By this route correspondence is accorded air transit as far as Perth, usually sea transit to Ceylon, and then air transit onwards to destination. On occasions, however, ordinary air-mail correspondence routed this way has been accorded air transmission throughout the whole journey. In consequence of the introduction of this service, the air-mail services previously in operation for the transmission of ordinary air-mail to the United Kingdom, involving sea transit to the Pacific coast of North America and then air transit onwards (2s. 6d. a half-ounce) or sea transit to the Panama Canal Zone and air transit onwards (3s. 6d. a half-ounce) were discontinued. Owing to the absence of a direct civil air link with Canada or the United States it has not been possible to provide a fast service to those countries for ordinary civil air-mails. Such correspondence continues to be exchanged by part-sea-part-air means at the rate of Is. 3d. a half-ounce, but transmission times have shown little gain over the times taken by direct surface despatches to those countries. Airgraph Service The airgraph service has continued to provide a very satisfactory means of communication with those overseas countries to which the service is available. The number of airgraph messages handled has, however, diminished considerably since the introduction of the light-weight air letter-card service for communication with Forces and civilians overseas, and whereas the number of outward airgraphs forwarded in the third week of June, 1944, reached the peak figure of 88,000, the number handled weekly is now only 7,000. In transmission airgraph mails average only two or three days longer than air letter-card mails. Consequent upon the introduction of the air letter-card service and the fixing of the postage rate on civilian cards at Bd., the charge for civilian airgraphs was reduced to that applicable to Forces messages (5d.). A specially designed airgraph form was again introduced for the Christmas - New Year Season, the charge being the same as for ordinary airgraph messages. Over 179,000 special Christmas messages were forwarded from New Zealand, and 265,000 were received.

5