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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0351.PDF
r MARCH 13TH, 1947 FLIGHT 221 THE AIR ESTI MATES an(] tecfinical staff employed on research and other specialist duties,mainly at signals and medical units. Under " Miscellaneous non- indiistrial staff " is included a sum of £1,320 for the Captain of theKing's Flight, who receives in addition a special lodging and sub- sistence allowance of £150. Vote 5: Movements.—Conveyance of personnel; travelling allow-j ances and.expenses, £8,065,000 (£6,564,000 +£1,501,000); conveyance i ol stores, £6,218,000 (£6,330,000 - £11-,000). I This Vote provides for the cost ot movements of personnel of the! regular, reserve and auxiliary forces and of civilians employed at the i Air Ministry and at out-stations; for the issue of travelling allowances1 and expenses; and for the cost of movement of stores, etc., arising I after initial delivery from contractors. Vote 6: Non-technical Supplies.—Provisions and ration allowances,£12,350,000 (£14,495,000 -£2,145,000); fuel and light, £3,266,000 (£,41-',000 +£854,000); general stores, £1,595,000 (£1,109,000+ iiKb,000); clothing and clothing allowances, £5,271,000 (£2,oig,ooo STRJ152,000); miscellaneous supplies and services, £1,269,000(ii,97i,ooo_- £702,000). _ Covered in this Vote is the supply of provisions, fuel, light, generalstores, clothing, water, other accommodation services and animals. Aircraft and Engines Vote 7: Technical Supplies and Services.—Aircraft, £42,750,000: (^103,000 +£42,647,000); armament and ammunition, £6*250,000 ii.i'.'.i'000 +^5.855,000); radio, radar and electrical equipment,^4,4110,000 (£414,000 +£4,086,000); instruments and photographic equipment, £1,230,000 (£14,000 +£1,216,000); mechanical transportvehicles and marine craft, £3,500,000 (£339,000 +£3,161,000); mis- cellaneous equipment, materials and technical services, £3,620,000- !i2,335,ooo +£1,285,000); petrol, oil and lubricants, £8,600,000 (^17,000,000 —£8,400,000); meteorological equipment, £343,000! (£286,000 +£57,000); educational equipment and materials, £55,000 I $99,000 -£44,000); medical supplies, £180,000 (£98,000 +£82,000).In the main, the subheads under this Vote are self-explanatory. The first item includes the supply of aircraft; spare aircraft engines;airframe and engine components and accessories; power plants; air- screws; man-carrying parachutes; aircraft dinghies; spare parts forairlrames, engines, etc. The subhead also includes provision for modifications, overhauls and repairs by contract. Vote 8: Works and Lands. Part I: New works, additions andalterations amounting to /io.ooo each and upwards, £10,500,000 (£7,900,000 + £2,600,000); Part II: New works, additions and altera-tions under £10,000 each, £600,000 (£600,000); Part III: Ordinary repairs, renewals and maintenance, £12,000,000 (£14,075,000-^,075,000); plant for use on works services, £200,000 (£275,000 -£75.°°°); grants towards the cost of works, £100,000 (£20,000+£80,000); purchases of lands and buildings, £3,500,000 (£1,500,000 +£2,000,000); rents and .^reinstatements, £4,000,000 (£4,500,000-£500,000); surveys and miscellaneous services, £100,000 (£100,000). This Vote provides for the construction and upkeep of R.A.F.buildings and airfields, supply of fixed machinery and plant, pur- chases and rents of lands and buildings, and the operation of elec-trical, heating, water and drainage plants. Wherever practical works services are carried out by contract. The increase is due toincreased provision for construction of married quarters, of new barracks and messes, lor reconstruction of airfields abroad, and forthe acquisitio of sites occupied by requisition during the war and required for iuture use. Vote 9; Miscellaneous Effective Services. Fees and other pay-ments for personal services, £123,000 (£123,000); charges for training personnel at courses outside the Royal Air Force, £1,070,000(£1,510,000 -£440,000); miscellaneous educational services, £158,000 (£150,000 +£8/00); grants in aid of institutions and associations,£19,000 (£1,000 +£18,000); welfare expenses, £148,000 (£85,000 + £63,000); publicity expenses, £50,000 (£150,000 -£100,000); com-pensation for losses, damage, etc., £302,000 (£455,000 -£153,000); charges for hospital services, £81,000 (£35,000 +£46,000); loss byexchange, banker's commission, etc., £7,000 (£20,000 -£13,000); telecommunication services, £750,000 (£757,000 -£7,000); miscel-laneous expenses, £204,000 (£226,900 -£22,900); rebate in respect of military stores of lend-lease origin issued to certain governments,£2,800,000 (£50,000 +£2,750,000); pay, etc., of Polish personnel, £2,800,000 (£3,000,000 -£200,000); payments to eneiny prisoners ofwar, £30,000 (£10,000 +£20,000). The term "Miscellaneous Effective Services" co\'ers paymentsand receipts which do not come within the scope of any of the other Votes The principal items of expenditure are the chargesfor training R.A.F. personnel at courses outside the R.A.F., pay of Polish personnel, and rebate in respect of lend-lease stores issuedto certain governments. Pensions and Gratuities Vote 10: Non-effective Services. Retired pay, half-pay andwounds pensions of officers, £950,000 (£911,000 +£39,000); gratuities to officers, £600,000 (£1,341,000 -£741,000); commutation of retiredpay and wounds pensions, £34,300 (£30,000 +£4,300); pensions, gratuities and allowances to widows, etc., of officers: relief fund,£35,000 (£34,000 +£1,000); Other ranks: pensions to other ranks, £470,000 (£321,000 +£149,000); gratuities to other ranks, £63,000(£121,000 -£58,000); commutation of pensions, £20,000 (£14,000 + £6,000); rewards to other ranks for gallantry decorations andthe long service and good conduct medal, £3,000 (£73,000 -£70,000): pensions, gratuities and allowances to widows, etc., of other ranks,£23,500 (£22,500 +£1,000); Civilians: civil superannuation allow- ances, £101,000 (£86,500 +£14,500); compensation allowances (lossof office), £1,500 (£500 +£1,000); non-recurrent allowances (addi- tional allowances and gratuities)—established civil officers, £87,500(£67,000 +£20,500); compassionate gratuities—unestablished civilians, £78,500 (£31,000 +£47,500); injury grants under the Workmen'sCompensation Acts, etc., £65,000 (£72,000 -£7,000); miscellaneous civil non-effective payments, £2,700 (£1,500 +£1,200); compensationto members of the Air Training Corps and to their dependants, £3.000 (£2,000 +£1,000). It is explained that disability awards to officers, airmen and air-women, and pensions to their dependants in cases where disability or death is attributable to, or aggravated by, service during thewars of '1914-18 and 1939-45 are awarded by the Ministry of Pensions, and such awards are changeable to the Vote for that department. THE MEMORANDUM \^ is customary, the Air Estimates are accompanied by aA. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Air. Mr. Noel- Biiker points out that in ordinary times the flow of officers and air-men into and out of the force is small compared with its total size The training establishments and squadrons into which thenew intake passes are manned by the seasoned product of previous years. The trained element of the force not only provides in-structors but maintains the aircraft, organizes supplies and adminis- ters the men. Since the war the R.A.F. has been releasing a largeproportion of the intakes of the war years. These losses must be made good by the training establishments, but the process is a raceagainst time "since, if the output is too small, the training establish- ments themselves cannot be manned, and a vicious circle is created,diminishing training output producing a diminishing training • Potential. The front line of the R.A.F. is, in effect, part of the training«fsnization and must include a minimum nucleus containing the v''al elements—fighter, bomber, maritime, transport, tactical, etc.— (P^Snit which the operational technique cannot be maintained and'developed. Apart from the problem of training, demobilization has set a• teavy administrative task, particularly in the matter of movement, i since the release of each man may involve several consequential.Postings. Main consequences of the foregoing conditions are that an abnormally high proportion of the force is contained in training tstablishments, and the standards of output per man-hour arewver than they should be. The Air Council, Mr. Noel-Baker s'aU N are taking all steps to obtain maximum output from agiven manpower in the force, but improvement of efficiency must ;depend on regaining greater stability and a high average of skill rind experience. The force needs to re-engage the greatest possible•ouniher of wartime entrants who have learned their trades and ran add to the efficiency of the force immediately they rejoin. Of personnel the Memorandum states that only 2,250 officers*™> held permanent commissions before the war remain in the •A-F- and in consequence the quality of the large number of"hcers who have been or are being appointed to permanent com- missions will set the standard of efficiency in, and determine thecharacter of, the R.A.F. for many years to come. Recruiting or regular engagements of young men direct from civil life has beengood, but the most urgent need is for more trained and experienced men to re-engage for regular service, both as aircrew and in the ground trades. So far the numbers have not come up to expecta-tions. Mr. Noel-Baker recalls that the 20 flying squadrons of the A.A.F. have already been formed, and have started recruiting. Withinthe A.A.F. new Air Defence Units have been introduced, to man operations rooms and reporting stations which control the fighter and anti-aircraft operations in war. The first of these units wasformed and started recruiting last month. The Estimates also pro- vide for the formation of units of the Auxiliary Air Force Regiment, for the close defence of airfields. It is proposed in the coming year to re-open recruiting for thegeneral reserve of the R.A.F.V.R., with the aim of providing flying training for pilots and navigators released since the war.Training will be generally similar to that of pre-war days. Certain new types of ancillary units of the R.A.F.V.R. will be formedlater. University Air Squadrons have been formed as units of the R.A.F.V.R. at 11 universities in the U.K. Vote 2 also provides for gjants to units of the A.T.C. Theceiling of the Corps has been set at 75,000 cadets, and the Secretary of State comments that this " should make it reasonably certain that any cadet who wishes to render his national sen-ice with theR.A.F. should be able to do so." It has already been announced that any A.T.C. cadet with a proficiency certificate who is medically fit and who desires to enter the R.A.F.'will be guaranteed a placeas long as any vacancy exists. The Secretary of State for Air adds that in addition it has been decided that these proficient cadets willbe afforded priority in selecting the trade of their choice from the list of trades open to recruitment. The policy on which the supply programme is based was de- scribed in the White Paper on Defence (Cmd. 7042), to whichreference is made on p. 227 of this issue.
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