In 1918/19, the Australian PMG Department expanded its national motor fleet by only one motor lorry, two motor truck vehicles, three motorcars, one tri-car delivery carrier and five motorcycles. The Department was having trouble coming to grips with the introduction of the motor vehicle into its operation, let alone the aeroplane.
Two years later, motor transport was still in its fledgling stages as the PMG still only purchased an additional 13 motor vans and cars, 4 motor lorries and 9 motor cycles. However in the same year, Australia had sixteen registered flying businesses including the fledgling Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd.
Even by 1930, the entire Department (including its rapidly expanding telephone network) only possessed 140 cars and vans, 195 small trucks, 48 lorries and 185 motorcycles.
The growth of the commercial aviation industry in Australia differed from other geographical areas. Due to its denser population, the growth in Europe was between the major population centres. Even in the United States of America, the emphasis was on inter-urban services particularly for airmails.
In Australia, the initial growth was mainly in the "outback" areas with small populations. While the effect of the introduction of the services into these areas had dramatic effect and was mainly spurred on by pioneers who saw the desperate need for better communications in these areas, it was also driven by other less attractive factors.
The railways were able to influence governments to protect them from competition from the new transport mode. It was for this reason that the UK airmails for NSW terminated in Cootamundra for many years (as did the service from Adelaide) rather than the natural terminus at Sydney. A regular service between the two major population centres, Melbourne and Sydney) was very late in being developed.
Even the first regular service commenced at Geraldton that was the terminus of the railway system from Perth. Being excluded from the more potentially profitable leg of the service to the North West handicapped the fledgling service.
In the Ninth Annual Report (1918/19) for his Department, the Postmaster General, the Hon W Webster noted:
"Continued attention is being given to the question of establishing Aeroplane Services for the conveyance of mails. A Committee of three officers, consisting of the Chief Electrical Engineer, the Chief Inspector and the acting Chief Accountant, has been appointed for the purpose of keeping in touch with developments and advising the Department on questions in connexion therein that may arise from time to time."
"It can be accepted as a matter settled beyond reasonable doubt that Air Mail Services are practicable in Australia. The investigations made to date, however, indicate that it would be a costly proposition to establish and maintain such services. The total population of Australia is distributed over a vast area, and there are only two great cities containing a large population."
"The estimated cost of establishing and maintaining Aeroplane Services would, it appear, entail upon the Department very heavy annual expense over and beyond the revenue which could reasonably be expected from the comparatively small quantity of urgent mail matter which would be offering for aeroplane delivery. Under present conditions, it appears that the independent establishment of Air Mail Services in Australia by this Department would not be justified. The question, however, of assisting in the establishment of such services is an important one from the national defence point of view, and it may be possible, when the scheme for increasing the existing aviation forces is in full operation, to arrange with the Defence Department for experimental Aeroplane Services between selected points to be conducted."
Civil Aviation as an independent Public Service entity was still some years away as an independent Civil Aviation Board was not formed until 1936. In the 1920s, it was an insignificant part of the Department of Defence. (The Board in turn was abolished in 1939 when the Department of Civil Aviation was formed with its own Minister.) From December 1920, it was a Branch of the Department of Defence under the control of Lt-Col H C Brinsmead.
The next year (1919/20), some progress had been made:
"Arrangements have been made, however, have been made with the Defence Department for preliminary action to be taken for, if conditions permit, the establishment of an experimental mail service in the State of Western Australia between Geraldton on the West Coast and Derby on the North West Coast, including the intermediate principal points of settlement en route."
"These places are at present served postally by a subsidised service per steamer which has a frequency of once every 30 days. Mails are also forwarded on an opportunity offers by vessels sailing on the coast and running between Perth and Java."
"The Service, if established, will cover a stretch of country which would benefit most materially in the saving of time which air transport would effect, and the route was selected as one having the greatest possibilities of development from an air mail point of view."
From various sources, such as the Commonwealth Year Books, the researcher would note that the major drive for the establishment of new air mail services was coming from the fledgling Civil Aviation group within Defence, not the Postmaster General's Department. It would seem that its reluctance to embrace new transport systems was not just confined to motor transport!
An Inter-Departmental Committee was appointed by the Government in 1932 to investigate the question of the development of air communications between Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as within Australia.
The Government approved the recommendations of the Committee as follows:
1. That an air service should be established linking Australia with the United Kingdom;
2. That the Commonwealth Government should accept responsibility for providing the service between Singapore and Darwin;
3. That commencing with the inception of the overseas service, there should be maintained air transport on the following routes within Australia;
a. Darwin - Cootamundra through western Queensland and western New South Wales
b. Katherine - Perth via the Kimberleys and the north-west coast of Western Australia
c. Charleville - Brisbane
d. Cloncurry - Normanton
e. Ord River - Wyndham
f. Melbourne - Hobart via King Island and Launceston
Excerpt from "Official Airmails of Australia"
Postal History 
