A “FORCE” IN EVERY SENSE OF WORD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 177, 30 July 1941, Page 5

A “FORCE” IN EVERY SENSE OF WORD

NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE ALL STEPS TO PREVENT INVASION MINISTER’S STATEMENT '(p.A.) Parliament Bldgs., July 29 ! “The Royal New Zealand Air Force is now a 'force' in every sense of the I word," said the Minister of Defence, 11-lon. F. Jones, dealing with this 'lbranch of the services in the House of i Representatives to-night. I Since the outbreak of war applications for enlistment in the R.N.Z.A.F. totalled more I han 30,000, and the total personnel engaged in the Air Force in the Dominion was now veil over eleven times greater than it was at the beginning of the conflict. The efforts had not been solely directed to supplying personnel for Canada, the Air Force in Britain and local requirements, but they had been also directed to meet requests for the maintaining of a unit at one of the ’ Pacific islands. Speaking of the accident rate among training personnel, the Minister said a study of data showed that many of them were due to errors of judgment, negligence and low flying, and a large number of the accidents , had taken place in the winter, when flying conditions were not of the best. However, the accident rate compared 1 ' more than favourably with that in other countries. Mr. Jones said he could assure the House that no stone had been j left unturned to protect New p Zealand from invasion, and the 1 air training scheme alone en- h sured that there would always be H a large number of trained per- ; sonnel available in the Dominion in case of emergency.

The Minister also paid tribute to the success of our airmen overseas, stating that, to date, they receive; i more than 100 awards and honours, including one D. 5.0., three George Medals, three D.F.C.’s with bar 77 D.F.C/s, nine D.F.M.’s and 11 ’AnForce Crosses.