SOUTHERN CROSS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1933, Page 5

SOUTHERN CROSS

MAIL CARRIER LETTER TO N.Z. PREMIER. i* ’er Press Association — Copyright ) WELLINGTON, January 16. The only mail Brought to New Zealand by Air Commodore Sir Charles Kings ford Smith on his Tasman Right was a letter to' the Prim© Minister, the ■Rt. Hou. G. W. Forbes, from the president- of the New Zealand. Association in Melbourne, Air A. E. Fraser. Hie envelope wa-s addressed in the ordinary manner, but it bore two -stamps, on e of which was placed on it in Australia, and the other when the aeroplane reached New Plymouth. There w&s n-o Australian postmark; but the letter wa,g posted in New Plymouth, arriving in Wellington the next day, just over 21 hours after leaving Australia. Actually, the letter was handed to Mr S. E. Nielson, the New Zealand passenger on the flight, before leaving Australia, and it was posted by him on arrival at New Plymouth.

On the back of the -envel-op e are the of th e members of the crew of the 'Southern Cross and of the two passengers. For this reason the envelops alon e is prized as a valuable souvenir.

‘‘The New Zealand Association in Melbourne,” gays Mr Fraser, “is taking the' opportunity of sending a message of good-will and felicitation to the Government and people of New Zealand, by courtesy of the first New Zealand passenger to make the flight. We look upon the flight of Air Commodore Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in the Southern Cross as a happy -augury. “We see this flight as ,a forerunner of a regular mail and passenger service qt some future date • between the Commonwealth and the Dominion. As a network of air routes extends to all parts of our Empire, w e hop e that in the not too distant future a New Zealand -air service will become an accomplished fact, thus forging -a- closer bond between New Zealand residents in Australia and their kith and kin in the land of their birth.

“W e wish to assure you that New Zealanders in Australia maintain a very real interest in their homeland, and are watching keenly its progress back to prosperity. May this prosperity -and health and happiness for the people of New Zealand be vouchsafed in ample measure during 1933.”