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 26

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The

frequency of services in the reverse direction. South African services would be operated, via Masindi Port, Kampala, Kisumu, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Lindi to Beira and Durban, with large flying boats capable of meeting the full mail requirements and also of carrying a substantial complement of passengers.

It will also be seen that it is proposed that arrangements should be made to continue, through the medium of a company or companies associated with Imperial Airways, the existing inland service from Nairobi to Johannesburg and to operate feeder services from Beira to Nyasaland and Northern and Southern Rhodesia, so that all the East and Central African dependencies should be assured of an air connection with the main trunk services.

The normal cruising speed of the aircraft employed on the trunk services would be 130 miles per hour but with considerable extension of night flying facilities the journey schedules should progressively fall to 23 days approximately as between London and Kisumu with propor- tionate savings on the further journey to Durban.

4, With the further development of operational efficiency higher speeds might become economically

possible. A greater operational speed than that provided for in the scheme could, of course, be obtained immediately if desired but at an unduly high cost and His Majesty's Government consider that at this stage economic considerations warrant the adoption of the

basis