Fiji's Mail And Passenger Services

Suva, Oct. 15.

FIJI suffers what is probably the most irritating overseas air-mail service in the world, and one of the most expensive. One reason for this is that it is carried, not by commercial planes, but by those of the Air Force, whose movements are unpredictable. At this writing, no mail has been received here from Australia later than that posted in Sydney on October 3.

Until August 26, mail was carried be tween Fiji and New Zealand for. ordinary postage and between here and Australia for 5d., the reason .apparently being that, officially, it was not air-mail, although everyone knew that it was sent by air.

On August 9 26, it was announced that henceforth postage to New Zealand would be 1/2 per half-ounce and to Australia and other parts of the British Empire 1/5 per half-ounce. It is believed that some mail, which carries only ordinary postage, is still carried air-mail, but the postee takes the risk of its being left behind should there be a full load of mail posted at the full air-mail rate.

No closing times for overseas air-mails are advertised in Fiji, and it is impossible to find out from the postal authorities just when one is due to leave. The general practice is to post as written, and hope for the best.

Presumably, the new air-mail rate was arranged by mutual agreement between Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain. If this were done on a “distance” basis there seems no reason why the postage to Australia should be at the same rate as postage to England. On the other hand, postage from Fiji to New Caledonia (a French possession) is only 9id. per half-ounce.

No further news is available about the mooted Suva-Sydney air-service (Septem ber “PIM”). It was announced in Suva in August that a conference had taken place in May between the Australian, New Zealand and Fiji Governments, and that the desirability of establishing such a service was discussed.

Nothing definite is known about the plans of Pan-American Airways, either. It was hoped to re-establish this service by the end of the year, but indications are that there has been unexpected delays, and that the service will not begin until some time in 1946.

IN the, meantime, Fiji suffers both in mail and passenger facilities. The only regular means of passenger service with the outside world is by the Union Steamship Company’s “Matua,” which has given magnificent service, but

which is totally inadequate to cope with the great demand for accommodation.

Three times as many passengers as there are berths go clamouring to the shipping company at each sailing of the “Matua”—many of them people who have been waiting to go on leave for months, if not years—and the fortunate ones are selected by a Movement Control Board of five members.

One sailing of a large ship would cure most of Fiji’s accumulated overseas passage ills; but to date there is no sign that anything of the sort will be coming this way for months to come.

Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Gray, and Miss June Gray, arrived in Sydney per flying boat from Fiji, early in October, to spend long leave in Australia. Mr. Gray is manager of the Burns Philp Branch at Lautoka and, owing to war conditions he had not been in Australia since 1939.