NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 17, 15 October 1942, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

it is to be hoped that the release of the War Council's -report on the Home Guard will be followed by the publication of a document which, In many respects, is complementary—-the report on this country’s civil, defence measures. Earlier in the year a representative of the London Fire Service came to New Zealand to study our civil defence plans with particular reference to blitz fire-fighting, In spite of many inquiries, only the barest inkling of ills views lias been passed on to the public. Even fire Brigades and fire'boards have been kept largely in the dark as to the detail of his recommendations. If his report is complete, ns much of. it as can be made known without endangering security should be published. Any proposals for improvement, or alteration in any way, of the civil defence organization are bound to have some bearing upon the problem of civil defence personnel. For this reason they are likely to affect the parallel problem of Home Guard recruiting and organization. The situation of the Home Guard, and that, of civil defence establishments, might well —from the point of view of manpower—be considered ns a whole. For this reason the report on civil defence should be forthcoming with the least possible delay.

At the commencement of the season the British Minister of Agriculture. Mr. R. S. Hudson, said that lie believed it to be "sober truth that the harvest of 1942 will lie :t critical factor in the future history not only of this country but of the world.” During the weekend, with the crops gath cred, the Minister said : ‘‘Some power has wrought a miracle in the English harvest fields this summer.” It lias been the triumph of the small farmer for over 80 per cent, of the British farms do not exceed 150 acres. There have been extensive drainage and reclamation schemes, but -the men who grew the crops put 0,000,000 more acres under the plough than was recorded in, pre-war days. They sowed a larger area in winter wheat than had been used for winter and spring sowings combined in the preceding year, and increased tlie area down in potatoes by some hundreds of thousands of acres to pass the million mark. As a wartime effort it will stand comparison with anything.