Japanese Air-Mail

Service Tokio To Carolines and Pelews

A N announcement, early in June, that Japan proposed to inaugurate, in October, a monthly air-mail service con necting Tokio with the Pelew Islands, set the whole pack of Australian newspaper kite-fliers speculating in their usual silly fashion.

Within a few days, they had exag gerated it into a plan by which Japan was to run an air-mail service to Aus tralia, via Pelew and Darwin. *They worked themselves into a mild frenzy on the question of whether Australia would admit the Japanese aircraft.

What actually is to happen is that Japan, after long consideration, has de cided to put in an air-mail link between Tokio and the Japanese Mandated Is lands. The ’planes will run southwards, via the Bonins, the Marianas and the Central Carolines (where Saipan is the chief administrative centre); then, pre sumably, they will turn westwards through the Western Carolines (where Yap is situated), and thence will fly on to the Pelew group, further west, where, at the port of Korror, are the head quarters of the South Seas Bureau, which governs the whole of this Mandated Ter ritory.

Returning to Saipan, the ’planes could fly eastwards to Truk, and on to the port of Ponape, and the Marshall Islands, of which the chief town is Jaluit.

Saipan is near the American island of Guam, which is a station on Pan- American Airways North Pacific service (’Frisco to Hongkong). If there is to be any Japanese connection between the Japanese Islands air-mail service and Australia, it almost certainly will be made between Saipan and New Guinea, and thence to North Queensland.