CO129-550-3 Empire Air Mail Services- cost of participation to be exempted from assessment for military contributions... 19-10-1934 - 17-1-1935 — Page 23

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(To Hong Kong)

increase the number of Indian services to five per week.

These services would be operated, via Karachi to

Calcutta, with large machines capable of meeting the

full mail requirements and also of carrying a

substantial complement of passengers.

The connection with Ceylon from Karachi would be

completed by existing surface transport services, unless arrangements have meanwhile been made with the

Government of India for the utilisation of the Indian

internal air services, and for the extension of those

services to Ceylon. The finances of those arrangements

would, however, be a matter outside the scope of the

present scheme.

The normal cruising speed of the aircraft employed

on the trunk services would be 130 miles per hour but

with considerable extensions of night flying facilities

the journey schedules should progressively fall to 21 days approximately as between London and Karachi with

proportionate savings in the journey to Ceylon.

3. It will be seen that the scheme would provide

for a minimum frequency of services between London and Singapore of three per week of which two would be

extended to Australia. There would also be a corres-

ponding frequency of services in the reverse direction.

These services, of which at least two per week would

call at Bangkok, would be operated, via Karachi and

Calcutta, with large machines capable of meeting the

full mail requirements and also of carrying a

substantial