MUST NOT BE LOST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 4, 14 September 1942, Page 5

MUST NOT BE LOST

E.P.S. PERSONNEL ARMBANDS

WARNING TO ALL MEMBERS

"Experience in other countries has shown how important it is for na-

tional .security reasons to guard against the issue of armbands by unauthorised persons. Please, therelore instruct all E.P.S. personnel under your control to print their names and addresses in indelible ink or pencil on the outside of their armbands and similarly print inside, "Please return to address hereon." As a deterrent to carelessness all members should be advised that the replacement of an armband will cost them 5s unless a satisfactory explanation is forthcoming," stated a National Service Department circular which was before Monday night's meeting of the Executive Committee of the Paeroa E.P.S. The circular continued:— "Clause 7 (1) (b) of the Emergency Precautions Service (Conditions of Service) Order, 3942. requires all members to wear their armbands while on duty. This must be strictly enforced and any breach after one warning should be met with-a fine in the absence of very good reasons to the contrary. It is realised that owing to the difficulty in securing supplies some E.P.S. members have not yet received their armbands and in such cases of coursf;, this instruction will not apply in the meantime.

"I would ask you to ensure that every care is taken of stocks and issues of armbands and I would again draw your attention to paragraph (5) of E.P.S. Circular No. 98. In a time of emergency the misuse of an E.P.S. armband by some person intent upon interfering with civil defence operations can have

far-reaching effects and it, therefore, is essential to do everything possible to prevent these armbands from falling into the wrong hands."