ROYAL N.Z. AIR FORCE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23288, 25 August 1945, Page 4

ROYAL N.Z. AIR FORCE

Demobilisation Procedure (N.Z.P.AJ NEW PLYMOUTH, Aug. 25. R.N.Z.A.F. mobilisation sections at Army headquarters no longer exist. They will be replaced shortly by demobilisation sections to deal with light scale demobilisation of Air Force personnel. Large scale demobilisation is to be decentralised as much as is possible, and three methods of medically boarding men arc to be employed. A proportion of the men will be medically examined at R.N.Z.A.F. stations, provided the establishment of the station includes two medical officers. In such cases there will be 30 medical boards at each station. Second, some of the remaining personnel will be posted to noneffective pools at Auckland. Wellington and Christchurch where the numbers to be boarded each week by Air Force medical officers will be 126 and 100 respectively. Medical boards comprising general practitioners will also deal with personnel in these cities. The third method provides for the employment of a civilian medical board exclusively in eight outer Army areas, with headquarters at Whangarei, Hamilton. New Plymouth, Wanganui, Napier, Nelson, Dunedin and Invercargill. Tn addition to I he non-commissioned officers at present engaged al Army headquarters on Air Force demobilisation, sections will comprise an airman who will be responsible for clerical duties and the collection ot equipment, and. if necessary, a medical orderly to assist civilian medical boards. Arrangements for I lie collection of equipment are still under consideration. The bottle-neck that prevents rapid demobilisation in the outer areas is the civilian boards, the rate of releases being determined by the availability of general practitioners to serve on m ecl ica 1 boards.