THE HOME GUARD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 29, 16 March 1942, Page 4

THE HOME GUARD

Sir, It was encouraging to see the letter by our Home Guard Commanders in last Monday's Beacon saying that we do not object to any restrictions if they are really fo* 0111* common good. I am anxious to learn why we have had so rp.any setbacks in the Home Guard and whether we are being ■deliberately discouraged. For instance who was stopping us from buying benzine to attend drills towards the end of 1941, and why cannot some of the recently returned men be sent along to teach us the up-to-date tricks modern warfare? I cannot quite understand why the angels are weeping because the 40hour week is not yet quite extinct, or because men are still holding out v their hands for their overtime. The prices of necessities are mounting higher and higher and some of these workmen with large families will be getting back to the slump conditions of malnutrition with the cost of vegetables, meat, rent, etc. what they are. That should make the angels drop a tear!

And what about the firms that are squealing about having to pay this overtime? Of the Bruce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. the "N.Z. Financial Times" says: "The latest balance sheet continues the pleasant story of the last two. years. Gross profits were 300 per cent above those of 1939 and 50 per, cent more than last year's." A liability to the bank which in 1938 was £86,000 has been wiped out, reserves have risen to £39,000 in 1941. In 1941 taxation was just on £60,000, but in spite of that a dividend of 8 per cent was paid to shareholders, free of income tax, and over £9000 placed in reserves i.e. another 7 per cent invested (of course they could do even better than that if they could only cut out paying the wretched overtime) . Factory workers are just as loyal as any of us, but they dislike spelling the already fati profits of war contractors at the expense of tlieir own families. But to get back to the Rangitaiki Plains we surely have cause to do a bit of weeping on our own 'account. I have tried to find out what the E.P.S. is going to do for our families while Ave are fighting, but, beyond the fact that most people seem to have agreed to help, I can not find out anything. They have hacl no practices at evacuation so if they attempt it during an invasion one can imagine the confusion that will occur. From what Mr Anthony Eden tells us the Japs treated Britisihers in Hong Kong just like they have been treating the Chinese for the last four years so women and children will have to be evacuated. Yours etc., HOME GUARDSMAN.