§ Mr. Hall-Caineasked the Postmaster-General whether his attention has been called to a recent explanatory interview given by one of his officials to the Press with regard to the new Empire air-mail scheme in which it is stated that air-mail labels and special pillar-boxes are to be abolished, and that if more mail for any particular Dominion or Colony than can be carried by the aeroplanes available is posted it will have to be held up until the next service; and whether he can give an assurance that under this new system arrangements will still be available whereby urgent and important mail can be given guaranteed despatch by the next available air-mail if posted properly?
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§ Major TryonThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. In regard to the second part, I confidently anticipate that those who send letters to South and East Africa will co-operate by spreading their postings over the week instead of concentrating them on one or two days, and, if this proves to be the case, the problem to which my hon. Friend draws attention should not arise. I should like, however, to take this opportunity of making it clear that, having regard to the novel and complicated issues involved, it is inevitable that the arrangements made at the outset for the carriage of mails over this route should be of an experimental and tentative character. They will, of course, be reviewed and, if need be, adjusted as and when adequate experience has been had of the incidence of the traffic in relation to the capacity available and other kindred considerations.