AERIAL MAILS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 67, 13 December 1920, Page 4

AERIAL MAILS

SERVICES IN THE NEW YEAR. The Postmaster-General (Hon. J. G. Coaks) stated on Saturday that Cabinet had approved of the inauguration of aerial mail services. A start would be mndo early in the Now Yrar. The first services were to be between Christchurch and Tiniaru in the South Island, and between Auckland, Whnngarei, and Dargaville in tho North. An aeroplane would bo used for the service across the Canterbury Plains, and a seaplane would take the mails for tho Auckland-Wha-ngvirei-Hargaville "run. Arrangements would be made for the delivery of letters by messenger after the special mail bags had been carried to their destinations through the air. Those services are to ho run. regularly, at least for a month or two, '■ in order that the Department may ascertain what the financial results of. the venture will Im. Tho experiments made already have proved that mails can be carried betweon the points named with groat saving in time. But aerial letters cannot be delivered as quickly as telegrams, and tho amount of use that will bo made of the aeTial services by business people and others after the first novelty has worn off remains to l>e shown. Th* charge for tho carriage and delivery of an aerial letter probably will be in the neighbourhood of siipence.