NEW ZEALAND'S "HENDON"

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 131, 6 June 1938, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND'S "HENDON"

Though the weather conditions were none too favourable for flying on Saturday afternoon, the first full display of the Royal New Zealand Air Force at Rongotai was both exceedingly creditable to all who took part in it and highly impressive to the many thousands of spectators who witnessed it from the aerodrome and from every coign of vantage in the vicinity. From every _ point of view, New Zealand's first "Hendon

was a good show, well organised and well carried out. The number of aeroplanes was the largest yet assembled in one place in the Dominion, with a correspondingly large number of members of the Air Force, together with auxiliaries and that section of the Defence Forces whose duty it is to repel air raiders from the ground. The whole demonstration was well designed to show the various branches of the training and work of the Air Force and gave the public some idea of the degree of skill and efficiency necessary for successful air defence. To the admirable results attained the Governor-General (Lord Galway) paid full tribute, and the Miiiister of Defence (Mr, Jones) took advantage of the occasion to explain how necessary adequate training was and to appeal to the youth of the country to provide the units of the Defence Force with the numbers they required. This is really the crux of the defence problem in New Zealand, as it <s elsewhere. Governments may provide the mechanism of defence, which is mainly a question of wise selection and monetary outlay, but it is for the people themselves to furnish the man power. It is inevitable, as the Minister himself said, that in these difficult times the thoughts of the people must turn increasingly to matters of defence, but it is for the people themselves to implement these thoughts with action b,y coming forward, such as can, to fill up the gaps in the ranks.