§ Major Markhamasked the Postmaster-General whether he is aware that ordinary mails to the U.S.A. take about three weeks and that air-mail takes a little longer, in some cases as long as five weeks; and whether any improvement in either service can be expected in the near future.
§ Captain CrookshankWith regard to mails sent to the U.S.A. by surface route, I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply, of which I am sending him a copy, given on the 17th of December to the hon. Member for Bournemouth (Sir L. Lyle). I cannot accept the suggestion that the time of transmission by air mail to the U.S.A. is normally longer than by surface route. Such delays as occur in the case of air mail correspondence are due primarily to lack of sufficient aircraft capacity for mails on the trans-Atlantic air services, the difficulty in this respect being aggravated during the winter when flying conditions are less favourable and the intervals between flights longer because the aircraft follow a longer route. Owing to these difficulties I have had to warn the public, through the medium of the Press and by broad-66W cast, that air mails for the U.S.A. and Canada have sometimes to be sent by sea and to advise them in the general interest not to use the trans-Atlantic air mail service except for the most urgent correspondence.