AIRMEN'S GRIEVANCES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 207, 27 May 1919, Page 5

AIRMEN'S GRIEVANCES

NEW ZBALANBERS DISCHARGED ■ O LONDON. Complaint has been made that 'New Zealand'iiiembers of the Eoyal Air Force have been discharged in London since the signing of the armistice and left to make their own arrangements for returning to New Zealand. In some cases these men have been without means, and they have had to make'appenls to relatives and friends to assist them. Parents in New Zealand have protested against being required to pay for the repatriation'of their boys. The difficulty aroso from the fact that the, flying . cadets who went from Now Zealand did not go as members of the New Zealand. Forces at all. They received their preliminary training at tho New Zealand' flying schools, which are not Government institutions, and then they were shipped to England at the expense of the Imperial Government, The New Zealand military authorities were simply agents in this matter, and tlio cadets passed entirely under the control of the Air Ministry as soon'as they reached the United Kingdom. They received pay and allowances at the Imperial rates.

Tho New Zealand authorities took an increased interest in aviation cadets in tho' later stages of the war, owing to the necessity for seeing that men liable for military service under the Military Service Act did not make improper use of the channel provided by the air service. 'The men were attested as members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, ,u':il were then given indefinite leave without pay, on condition that they entered either an aviation school or a military training ■ camp within three months. Later they were attested as members of the Imperial Forces after their arrival in the United Kingdom. The system worked well enough during tho war. but tho needs of the airmon from overseas seem to have been overlooked bv the Air. Ministry when demobilisation orders were being issued. The men were demobilised in London in some cases, and left entirely on their own resources. The trouble did not end there, for in several instances that have como under notice the men were unable to collect arrears of pay in London before leaving for New Zealand, and were told, according to their own statements, that they would receive tho money in this country. But when they arrived here nobody in autlioiity knew anything (ibout, them.

Thero is reason to believe that eventually the airmen will be able to recover out-of-pocket expenditure that should have been paid from public funds. Strong representations have been made ou their belttilf. • But in the meantime the men have been exposed to hardship. The popular impression that tho air cadets were -all young men possessed of means was by 110 means justified by Ihe rnets. Some of the cadets had their I mining expenses paid by friends or patriotic citizens. 0113 farmer in Auckland raid for the (raining of six cadets, and then gave them eacli a small sum of money against initial expenses. Other cadets paid Ihe school fees with their own small siivin'ts, and wero dependent r.n their pay when they leached Ihe 1-niled Kingdom.

Italy's aerial post already covers daily ISnO miles.