CHEAP AIR MAIL SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 109, 1 February 1935, Page 12

CHEAP AIR MAIL SERVICES

Empire Scheme

NEW ZEALAND TAKES PART

Delegation to Australia Air mail letters at lid. a half-ounce /etween London and New Zealand in /ess than ten days is the main aim of im Empire postal scheme in which the K'ew Zealand Government has agreed !to take part. “It is a remarkable prospect outrivalling in importance and (novelty even the famous change to (penny postage within the Empire,” observed the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, yesterday, in reply to an inquiry about the projected development of a fast and cheap air mail service between England and New Zealand by way of Australia. Cabinet decided at a meeting yesterday afternoon, Mr. Forbes explained, that the Postmaster-General, Hon. Adam Hamilton, and the DirectorGeneral of the Post Office, Mr. George McNamara, should proceed to lia to meet British delegates who left England two day? ago by air for Sydney and confer ■with Australian authorities on the question of finalising arrangements for such a service. Cost of Service. “The New Zealand Government has been in communication with the British Government for the past eighteen months on the question of air mails within the Empire,” Mr. Forbes added. “It will be recollected that about sixteen months ago it had been agreed to pay the sum of £5OOO annually from the Post Office here to the British Post Office as a token payment of approval of a new air scheme of handling mails. Since last November, negotiations have been in train for a much-improved scheme to come into force within two years, which would give a twice-week-iv mail exchange between New Zealand and Great Britain by air via Sydney. Cabinet agreed last month _ to take, part in such a scheme and since then arrangements have been proceeding to provide for the carriage of firstclass mail matter across the Tasman to connect with the main Empire scheme. Much has yet to be done, and the New Zealand delegation to Sydney will be able to confer both with the British delegates and the Australian authorities and finalise the many points still outstanding.” ■ The British delegates are: Mr. Guiness, M.P., Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir Phillip Sassoon, Secretary for Air; Mr. Bertram, DeputyDirector of Civil Aviation; Sir Edward Campbell, M.P., Parliamentary Private Secretary to Postmaster-General; and Sir Frederick Williamson, Director of Postal Services. The scheme provides for all inter-Empire first-class mail (that is, closed letters) to be sent by air at a cost of lid. per half-ounce.” It may be mentioned that the present air mail service between England and Sydney is scheduled to occupy 14 days. Experts, however, are confident that the time will be reduced soon to 10 days, and ultimately to seven and a half days. The ocean mail boat service takes 30 days between New Zealand and London.