EMPIRE AIR FORCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 October 1939, Page 5

EMPIRE AIR FORCE

BRITISH MISSION REACHES CANADA HOPES OF TRAINING 30,000 MEN ANNUALLY. DISCOURAGING OUTLOOK FOR GERMANY. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 15. Aii Ottawa message says it is officially staled that the Empire air 1 raining scheme in Canada will cost 700,000,000 dollars the first year. It will involve the creation of a new Canadian air establishment of 1375 officers and .1.3,000 men. The British mission of eight, headed by Lord Riverdale, has arrived en route to discuss methods of co-ordinat-ing Empire air strength. The Australian and New Zealand missions are expected at Ottawa shortly. I,ord Riverdale will control the train-, ing scheme. It is expected that the participating Governments will pay Canada for the training of airmen. The scheme, it is hoped, will be in operation within a month. The peak output will be 25,000 to 30,000 pilots, observers, air-gunners and radio men annually. Already the scheme has had a tremendous psychological effect on the Germans, who visualise the prospect of the German forces weakening and the British continually being strengthened. Australian, Canadian and New Zealand airmen are the world's best fighters, who will like to get their own squadrons.