MAILS BY AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 August 1922, Page 5

MAILS BY AIR.

AN EMPIRE SERVICE. PLAN FOR FIRST LINK. LONDON TO BOMBAY. . 1 By Telegraph.—Press Assa.—Copyright. Received Aug. 11, 5.5 p.m. London, August 10. Lord Gorrell’s committee, appointed to consider an Imperial air mail service, has issued its first report. It reconimends that a line to India should be run by private enterprise, supported and encouraged by financial and other assistance from the State. The Government should guarantee interest of 5 or 6 per cent, on the initial capital for five years, but this State liability should be limited, and tenders from firms should be invited.

The committee favors land ’planes, but the question of craft should be referred to an aeronautical research committee, who should be given £200,000, spread over three years, for experimental work. The committee recommend that the Cairo-Bagdad-Karachi-Bombay route only should be considered, the machines to fly by day at an average speed of a hundred miles an hour. If night flying was possible, the journey to India could be reduced by at least half.

The committee estimate the cost of a single trip weekly from London to Bombay at £3OOO, which could be reduced onethird if the trip was made daily. A weekly service would cost £500,000 and a daily service £1,000,000. If 5 per cent, of the present letters were carried- by air, postal fees would yield £825 each trip, while four passengers at £5O each would bring in a further £2OO. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.