MAILS TO EUROPE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 February 1941, Page 6

MAILS TO EUROPE

TRAVEL THE LONG WAV HOW AMERICANS MANAGE. LONG DELAYS CAUSED. New Zealand relatives and friends of soldiers on active service on any of the war fronts (.including England) art apt t<> cavil at the delays attendant upon delivery of loving messages, but they should remember that other countries, not immediately concerned with war. experience difficulties just as insurmountable as those from these parts of the Empire. Marco Polo with all his wanderings "had nothing on” (to use an Americanism) many of the letters that nowadays leave the United States for foreign countries. The postmaster at New York. Mr Albert Goodman, recently gave a reporter a description of the peregrinations of present-day mails. He said that much of the mail recently sent to Europe, instead of following the mathematical maxim that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, had to travel on a combined Odyssey and Aeneid which takes it anywhere from half to three-quart-ers of the way round the globe.

A LONG. LONG JOURNEY. For instance, a Setter to Greece instead of being transported acres the Atlantic and through the Mediter ranean, had to travel across the Allan tic and down the west coast of Africa around tile Cape of Good Hope. u, through the Indian Ocean, and thei overland through Iran and ‘Turkey and finally on a boat ride across '.hi Sea of Marmora to Greece, That trip, however, was a ferr; ride across the bay compared to th, voyage destined for a letter to Riga Latvia. Such a letter would trave westward across the United Slates thence over the 'Pacific to Japan across to Manchuria, and then on . long haul through Siberia and Rus sia to Moscow, and finally from Mos cow to Riga. Honours for fast travel in this daj of torpedoes and comnuinicatioi blackout go to letters sent to London market! for the Ptm-Ameriean Clippe and paid for al the rale of 30 cent: for one-half ounce. They are carrier on a quick, routine five-day journey with no delay except for trans-ship rnent al Lisbon to a British airplam (lying-on secret schedule, » THE CHRISTMAS RUSH. According to Mr Goldman, the wa has disrupted mail service all ove; the globe but it is still possible t< send letters to any place it*. the work with reasonable assurance they wil eventually reach their destination Whereas parcel post service has beet .‘suspended between the United State: ami most of the Nations of Europe, i still operates to Switzerland am Britain. Until Italy entered the war terns i*f foodslutTsmostly coffee were sent b Italy, but now puree, post to Italy is susjxmdcd and ahnosi no food is being sent to Europt through tile mails In the pn-Christmas season before tile prcse.nt war, Mr Goldman recalled trans-Atlantic vessejs would leave New York with 2(1000 to 25.000 sack; ■if mud. Now Clipper planes are carrying four and five ton?; of 'mad. and Britain and Scandinavian vessels from New Yuri; arc taking i>;;t about 20<n; to .‘WOO sacks ;« Week .Mos* of the falimg <•?! is due. however, to tile leu - eel : su«pension. firsl-eiass mail mid m*v. sprint shipments having diminished by only 20 yej cent. Regular mail iiudre; s ed to Britain ■ •ml not m.»rk<-d for Clipper plane leave.-- New Y, ~.<i British ve-csads, which proceed to Europe by W.,y of HahLix. under convoy, while mail •Jestim d for Kuv th<- Baltic State mme Scampnavktn nations. Greece and hr Far East is routed w--.- th,- lLiCie Mad I-. Australasia h.>s no*. been '•■routed. Thus the mails go through, >omb-; r.iitwithstanding, but postage lumps i critaj : net < r g ive much