Dominion Airlines ran a weekday passenger and airmail service
between Gisborne and Hastings in December 1930 and January 1931.
Sixpence label
The service began on 22 December 1930 with airmail payment by a special 6d label. Letters were posted on arrival and so there was also the ordinary 1d postage.
44 letters were flown with the Hastings to Gisborne 6d label, but Gisborne to Hastings labels were not issued until 29 December and only 4 letters were flown.
The Hastings to Gisborne labels were perforated and in sheets of six while the Gisborne to Hastings labels were single and imperforate. An unused example of the latter is shown. Both labels were inscribed Dominion Airways in error.
The Post Office complained that the labels
were illegal and their use was stopped
after one week on 29 December.
Charge for pilot's signature
The flights continued for another month, but with cut down labels in which the 6d value had been removed or, as in the example, with part of the label pasted over the value. A charge of 6d was now made for the signature of the pilot (George Bolt).
The word Airways in the label has been corrected to
Airlines.
This is an example of the specially printed covers
showing the route.
The printing on the Hastings - Gisborne covers is a
light greenish blue.
Later covers had Bolt's signature together with a cachet giving the direction. The following cover was flown from Hastings to Gisborne on 29 January.
The labels and cachets were always either autographed with the
initials AR or with the signature A Rosenberg.
End of service
The next cover was flown from Gisborne to Hastings on 30 January which was the last day of the service. It is one of the specially printed Gisborne - Hastings covers. The map is in a very deep blue.
The intention was only to suspend the service while the Desoutter monoplane was overhauled.
However, in early February there was a devastating earthquake in this
area.
Special emergency flights took place between Gisborne and Hastings
and mail was carried as the road had been badly damaged.
On 8 February, Ivan Knight, the managing director of Dominion
Airlines crashed and was killed on one of the flights.
As a result, Dominion Airlines ceased operations.
back next
All scans were made by the author.
Information on this page is taken from:
Airmails of New Zealand, volume 1 (1955) compiled by Douglas A Walker,
and the New Zealand Airmail Catalogue, (2nd Edition, 1994)
by James Stapleton.
Both are published by the
Air Mail Society of New Zealand