EDUCATING MEN FOR AIR FORCE

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23085, 30 July 1940, Page 6

EDUCATING MEN FOR AIR FORCE

* Signal Training Now Being Given MINISTER DISCUSSES PROGRESS (PEESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, July 29. Further details of Air Force preliminary educational training and the signal training being given in conjunction with it were given bj the Minister for Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) in an interview to-night. The Minister said that although the educational scheme had been in operation only since the beginning of the year, nearly 500 men had already completed their educational course. Of these, less than 10 per cent, had failed to measure up to the standard required. These men were being given a slightly extended educational course to enable them to do so. At present 2249 men were undergoing educational training in classes or by correspondence, 1290 had been selected provisionally as pilots or observers, and 959 as gunners. These classifications were contingent upon the „ satisfactory completion of their educational course. Since his previous statement, said the Minister, the necessary arrangements for a course of signal training had been completed. He must pay tribute to .the keenness and enthusiasm of the instructors provided by the Post and Telegraph Department.- The Director of Educational Services (Mr E. Caradus) had already had an cpiportunity of visiting a number of these classes, and had reported his extremely favourable impression of the work being done. Some 65 signalling classes were now in operation throughout the Dominion in 36 centres. Arrangements which it was hoped to make with the National Broadcasting Service had now been completed, and from Monday, August 5, classes in Morse signalling would be broadcast from 2YC, with rebroadcasts from IYX and 4YO. In this way it was hoped that not only men in the larger centres, but also those in country districts would be able to get the necessary signal complete text-book for the educational course was now in process of being reproduced. This text-book was based upon assignments of work prepared for men on correspondence courses during the first five months of the year. Every man attending Air Fbrce classes, or on the Air Force correspondence course, would be provided with a copy.