AIR PROMOTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 July 1943, Page 4

AIR PROMOTION

NEW CANADIAN MERIT SYSTEM. LEADING TO GREAT INCREASE IN COMMISSIONS. OTTAWA, June 4. Under a new system for promoting air personnel, the Minister of National Defence for Air, the Hon C. G- Power, informed the Canadian House of Commons that as high as 90 per cent of some recent Canadian air crews graduating under the Commonwealth Training Plan had been recommended for commissions. Mr Power, who long has advocated the commissioning of all ail’ crew members, told how the new merit system has been substituted for the quota method in granting commissions. Under the merit system, as agreed to at the Ottawa Air Training Conference in 1942, aH pilots, observers and navigators of air bombers on reaching not lower than 60 per cent on any subject throughout the training course, with an average of 70 per cent, will be granted a commission. This has bought a much higher percentage of graduates but’ did not help those overseas. To meet this situation a new clause was written into the agreement permitting an airman to apply for a commission and assuring that his application would have the same consideration as if a recommendation were initiated by his commanding officer. It , was now assured that, subject to difficulties of communication, an airman could appeal to the Canadian Selection Board for a commission no matter where he might be serving. Another provision written into the agreement was that all air crew members would be reviewed within two months to ascertain their commissionable qualities. This applied only to Canada. There has been a -vast improvement in the number of overseas, commissions, Mr Power added, but there should be more.