SPEEDING UP MAILS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 577, 1 February 1929, Page 9

SPEEDING UP MAILS

REGULAR SAILINGS FROM ENGLAND AIR SERVICE IN AUSTRALIA (United P.A.—By Telegraph—Ccfip freight) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) (United Service) Reed. 11a.m. LONDON, Thursday. Replying to a question in the House of Commons to-day by Sir Newton Moore, the Postmaster-General, Sir William Mitchell-Thomson, said that he understood that a Fremantle to Adelaide air-mail to connect with the mail steamers was to be established. This would accelerate the delivery of mail in the Eastern States. Air fees for letters from England would be threepence a half-ounce, but the details had not yet been settled. The Orient Company has come to an arrangement with the Australian Government under which a full fortnightly mail service will once more be maintained instead of, as in the past few years, when gaps have occurred during the summer tourist season, when the Orient liners were withdrawn for Norwegian voyages. These voyages will still be made, but the Commonwealth has agreed that the alternate fortnightly sailings will be filled by an expedited service. It has now arranged a P. and O. branch service via Suez, commencing with the Baradine on April 12. The Balranald, Ballarat and Bendigo will follow monthly, receiving outward Australian mails from the Indian mail steamers at Aden, and reversing the process on the homeward voyage.

BY AIRPLANE TOO LONDON TO KARACHI (Australian and N.Z. Press Associationf Reed. 11.47 a.m. LONDON, Thursday. Every Saturday, beginning on March 31, an Imperial airliner will leave London for Basle. From there passengers and mails will be taken by rail express to Genoa, by seaplane to Alexandra, and by airliner to Karachi, arriving there the following Friday morning. There will be a similar 52 hours’ service from Karachi to London. The service is primarily intended to speed up Eastern and Australian mails.