MAORI WAR EFFORT

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 177, 29 July 1942, Page 6

MAORI WAR EFFORT

ORGANISATION SET UP

order to give the Maori race a full opportunity to carry out its share of the war effort the setting up of a Maori war organisation has been approved by the War Cabinet, according to a statement made by the Minister in Charge of the Maori War Effort, Mr. Paikea. He said the War Cabinet had agreed to the appointment of a committee of all the Maori members of both Houses of Parliament, with the addition, as liaison officer between the Maori war organisation and the army, of Lieu-tenant-Colonel H. C. Hemphill, an officer with a distinguished service record who in civilian life is clerk to the Whangarei County Council. In addition to this central committee there had been established 20 operational zones throughout New Zealand, each with a well-qualified and experienced Maori as recruiting officer. Under them would be formed tribal committees throughout the officers ' respective areas Eight of the zones were in the Northern Maori district, six in the e tif r Q' ! c in l ' ie Astern and one in the Southern. For these zones the rec »; u i.ting officers had been —Major R. Vercoe, D.S O V,- of , K 2, tor ua, Captain w! Wherohia, of Te Puke, Captain T Hiroti, M.C. of Wanganui, Captain "t" Ferris, of Gisborne, Lieutenant H Jacob, M.C., of Otaki, Lieutenant ?nt U r° V p' -v f Wa , n f? nui . Lieutenant H. C. Paikea, of Kaiwaka, Lieutenant W. Pohio. of Lvttelton and Lieutenant W. Clarke, of Auckland A conference of recruiting officers was opened in Auckland ylsterday Sri a v m Th er said - r ll was continuing to-daj. The way for the recruiting officers and tribal committees had been paved by Major Rangi Roval Maori S B C a°Ualio n n. COmmand 01 the ' 2nd