EMPIRE SCHEME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 302, 22 December 1939, Page 6

EMPIRE SCHEME.

TRAINING FOR AIR.

CONFERENCE AT OTTAWA.

N.Z. DELEGATES RETURN.

Greatly impressed with the magnitude of the Empire air training scheme being inaugurated in Canada, Wing-Cuptain H. W. L. Saunders, M.C., D.F.C., M.M., Chief of the New Zealand Air Staff, and Mr. T. A. Barrow, secretory of the New Zealand Air Force, returned by the Mariposa to-day after representing the Dominion at the air conference hold at Ottawa.

While declining to comment on any of the decisions made or the cost of the scheme to Great Britain on<l the Dominions concerned, they said that the conversations that had taken place had enabled the delegates to more readily appreciate the difficulties that t!ie Mother Country and the Dominions had to face in respect to training. Mr. Barrow said he had not had an opportunity of visiting any -at the Canadian aerodromes or to view prospective sites for training centres. "We arrived at Ottawa on November 3," he said. "From then until we left to connect with the Mariposa we were in conference the whole time. Canada's willingness to help, and the attitude of the Canadian people towards the scheme werj the subject of enthusiastic comment bv all representatives at the conference." The chairman of the conference was the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King, Barrow said. Lord Riverdale was the leader of the British Air Mission. Associated with him were the Undersecretary of State for Air, Captain H. H. Balfour, Air Marshal Sir Arthur Courtney, Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke Popham, Mr. J. B. Abraham, one of the principal secretaries <»f the Air Ministry, three group captains and an official of the Treasury. Canada was represented by a Cabinet sub-coin mittee, which included the Minister of National Defence, Mr. H. Rogers, the Minister of Finance, Mr. C. A. Dunning, the Minister of Transport, Mr. C. D. Howe, end Jhe Minister of Health, Mr. Jan Mackenzie. Australia's chief delegate was the Minister of Air, Mr. J. B.' Fairburn, Group-Captain G. Jones and an officer of the Commonwealth Treasury.

"I had time to see only one aerodrome," said Group-Captain Saundere. "It was modern in every way and the officers and men were keen to get on with tha job."

Group-Captain Saunders and Mr. Barrow leave for Wellington to-night.