CANADA’S AIR FORCE

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1941, Page 10

CANADA’S AIR FORCE

Many Recruits SHO'RT OF THE REQUIREMENTS. (Received March 18, 9 p.m.) , OTTAWA, March 17. The Canadian Air Minister, Hon. Mr Power, has announced plans to establish an aircraft spare parts industry, so as to keep the air scheme ’planes in flying conditions. He said that there now are a number of the ’planes temporarily out of commission, because of the need of small parts, which are slow in coming from the United States and the United Kingdom. Mr Power gave a survey of recruiting for the Air Force. He said that out of ninety-three thousand recruits of 21 years of age, there were thirty-three per cent, who were not even up to the Army physical standards. There were another thirtythree per cent, who were between the minimum Army and. the minimum Air Force standards, and half of the remaining 33 per cent, had not met the educational requirements. Mr Power said that.the Canadian Air Force at present comprised 3,490 officers and 42,732 airmen, of whom ten per cent, were Britishers and Australians. The total also included five’ hundred citizens of the United States