IN THE AIR.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 3277, 27 June 1917, Page 4

IN THE AIR.

ALL WELL WITH THE Alii

SERVICE.

RESULT OF CAIfINET INVESTI-

GATION

London. The air service was defended by Lieut.-General Smuts and Sir Robert lioiden, Prime Minister of Canada, who, with tho Maharajah of JJikanir, received tho freedom of Edinburgh yesterday.

"I saw none of our airmen," said Lieut.-General Smuts, who has just relumed from France after witnessing the beginning of the new offensive "That was because they were lighting tho centtiy ton, fifteen, or twenty miles behind the German front. I am sorry that carping critie-cisi-i is being levelled against the air seivicc. Many of our airmen have only just left school, and such attacks take the heart out of them. There is no part of tho services of which we may be more proud. Apart from the fmo spirit of our men," ho added, "our organisation leaves nothing to be desired. Tho military machine, is working smoothly and well, and we need not despair. After tho heaviest bombardment in the world's history I found in the evening that the amount of our shelLs had actually increased."

Sir Robert Borden said that the subject of the air servico was recently j discussed by tho Imperial War Cabinet, of which the Overseas Ministers a:-.> members. The information thus afforded was very reassuring," he continued. "The machines vie are turning out to-day aro equal, if not si.perior, to any tho Germans have hitherto produced, and they are bein.T produced at a rapidly increasing Tho average efficiency of our I machines now in use is equal to the avti-ago of tho German machines."