§ Captain George Jegerasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is aware that recently there have been delays of two weeks in the mail to the British Pacific Fleet now stationed at Hong Kong; and whether the outgoing letters can be given the same priority as official mail which gets there on time.
§ Mr. W. EdwardsOwing to bad flying conditions and unserviceability of aircraft, delay occurred recently in the delivery of mail to Naval forces in the Far East. The situation is now normal, and I am informed that the average transit lime of ordinary one ounce letters and airmail to Hong Kong is eleven days. As a general rule, private mail takes priority over official mail. Until recently, mail for the British Pacific Fleet was sent via Australia, as the direct Lancastrian air service could not cope with the bulk of private Naval airmail, and that service was therefore used for the much smaller volume of official mail. A direct air link between India and Hong Kong has now been established, and both private and official mails are being carried by the same aircraft.