ARE THEY SOLDIERS?

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 217, 1 June 1918, Page 6

ARE THEY SOLDIERS?

THE AVIATION CADETS. A perplexing ruling has been given bj ■ MiO:-Financial Assistance. 13oaro[\in ,_the case of a young! New Zenlandef .who is qualifying at a New Zealand flying school tor admission to the Royal Flying Corps. The ruling is that a flying school cadet is not a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and therefore is not entitled to receive financial assist, ance from the board. Defence Headquarters has issued tho following instruction for the guidanceof .the controlling authorities at flying schools:— ■ Evorj pupil undergoing tuition at a school must be an attested soldier. It ie therefore'nn instruction to the aviation schools that no pupil oE nineteen years or over is to be accepted as a pupil unless or until the pupil is duly attested as a soldier ol tho N.Z.E.F. The regulation' proceeds to stato that the applicant for admission to a flying school in New Zealand must "present himself for voluntary enlistment in the usual way, must bo passed fit A by a district medical board, and must secure from his group commander three months' leavo of absence- without pay." If at the end of three months the cadet has not qualified for his pilot's-certificate (he may receive an extra ten days) lie "must enter camp as a member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force." When a cadet has qualified at one of tho flying schools in this country, he i» sent to London. Ho is required to report himself there to the .headquarters of the. N.Z.E.F., and he wears the uniform of a New Zealand soldier. The General Officer Commanding reports to tho Ministry of Aeronautics that a flying cadet is awaitiiig orders, and presently the man is formality transferred ■ from the N.Z.E.F. to I'ue Royal Flying Corps. The Financial Assistance Hoard argues that tho cadet is not really a member of the N.Z.E.F. at any stage, and this ruling is upheld by Defence- Headquarers of tho present time. The secretary of tho board states that the attestation of the flying school cadets as members of the N'.Z.E.F. is a formality, required to relieve the young men lrom their obligations under the Military Service Act, •V Dominion - reporter was informed.otncially yesterday that tins cadets are plac-c-1 on the same footing as members of tho motor-boat patrol and Imiienal re=ervists. They are regarded as membera of the British Forces, not of the New 'Zealand Forces, and so are-held ineligible for grants that may be received by New Zealand soldiers. The hardship that is created by this) ruling is obvious. The cadets have to find a sum of about .CIOO in older to secure the opportunity to win their pilots certificates. They are not all tho. sona of well-to-do parents. Some of them have, found it hard to raise the money. During their period of training they ■ receive practically no pay at all. They do not bcin to earn a living wage until they are transferred to the R.F.C. in England. In the meantime some of them have obligations to meet, and since they have been attested as members of the N.Z.E.1 , , thev find it hard to understand why they should Ik refused the benefit of tho finnncial assistance scheme. The grants would cease automatically when the men entered the R.F.C. But they would_ bo verv helpful during the training period.