HUGE AIR POWER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20123, 18 December 1939, Page 6

HUGE AIR POWER

EMPIRE CO-OPERATION AGREEMENT SIGNED DOMINION TRAINING OVERWHELMING FORCE j (For Press Association.) WELLINTGON, this day. } The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. i J. Savage, announces that an ag'ree- ; ment has now been reached by the i Governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - on the co-operative Empire air train- | ing scheme. 1 The details of the agreement, which i were under discussion for several • weeks at Ottawa, have since been api proved by the Governments concerned. | “The purpose of the plan as will be recalled,” said Mr. Savage, “is to [ achieve by co-operative effort within . the British commonwealth air forces ■ of a strength so overwhelming as to . defeat any possible enemy attack. The many and varied details of the plan of the magnitude proposed neces- | sarily have been the subject of prolonged and careful scrutiny. “The plan agreed upon will achieve a steadily increasing output of pilots, observers, and air gunners also to enable the four countries to meet the greatly increasing requirements ol trained personnel for their respective air forces. Co-ordinated Training “The air training programmes of the several countries have been so coordinated that advantage will be taken of their existing establishments and, in particular, of the special facilities and the great natural advantages for air training and the production ol of aircraft possessed by the Dominions. The development of the plan will ensure that extensive air training schools are established throughout the British commonwealth, with Canada as the principal centre. : Schools for pilots will be set up by all the participating Dominions. "Schools for air observers, wireless operators and air gunners will be set up in Canada and Australia. Canadian, New Zealand and some Australian pilots will be trained in Canadian flying schools. Pupils from the United Kingdom and Newfoundland will be sent for flying training to Canada j where some Australian and New Zea- j land personnel will also receive their j advanced flying course. "It was .realised in the course of the conference that the training facilities in Australia and New Zealand could be expanded quickly so as to render them capable of training a larger per- j sonnet than was needed to maintain the air forces of the two countries, and it was agreed that the facilities, which could be made available for training in excess of local needs, would be used to train Australians and New Zealanders for service overseas in the furtherance of the common cause. Auslralian-N.Z. Pupils “The training in both Australia and New Zealand will be confined to thenown pupils. An outstanding feature of the plan is the programme of joint 1 training in Canada, administered by j the Canadian Government. Training j for the Royal Canadian Air Force will I be merged with this joint training pro- ! gramme. Steps are being taken to I ensure that the plan, as regards both j the training of personnel and the pro- i vision of aircraft required, will be brought into full operation with all possible speed. “Details of the air training scheme in so far as it affects New Zealand and a description of New Zealand’s war effort in the air will be given later by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones.

“In a short time,” concluded the Prime Minister, “many thousands of young men from different parts of the commonwealth will be working and training side by side in the cause to which they and their countries have devoted themselves. With the completion of these negotiations, tile world has once more been given a stirring proof of the manner in which members of the British commonwealth of nations are determined to co-oper-ate with each other and with their Allies to the full to ensure that the great causes for which they are contending shall prevail.”