HOME GUARD

Evening Star, Issue 24325, 14 October 1942, Page 2

HOME GUARD

INQUIRY COMMITTEE’S REPORT RELEASED THE RECOMMENDATIONS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 14. “ I wish to take this opportunity of expressing my deep appreciation of the importance of the Home Guard in tho defence organisation of New Zealand,” said the Minister of Defence, in announcing that the recommendations of tho committee of inquiry of the War Council on the Horae Guard had now been considered by the Government and also had been discussed with Lieutenant-general Puttick, the officers of Ins stall, and the director-general of the Home Guard, Brigadier Young. Mr Jones continued: “I am aware of the excellent work that has been done by the Homo Guard all over the country, and am familiar with the problems that confront them and of the conditions under which they operate. The main. difficulties under which tho Home Guard laboured are gradually disappearing, and with the steady increase in the quantities of equipment available in New Zealand the Homo Guard can confidently look forward to a steady improvement in their position.” The report of (lie committee of inquiry into tho Home Guard organisation, comprising 15 closely typed pages, With seven pages of appendices, and tho G.O.C.’s report and comments of 12 pages, as well as a comprehensive Ministerial statement on both, were released for publication to-day. Tho Minister in liis statement says that the committee, consisting of the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C. (chairman), Major-general , Sir Andrew Russell, and Messrs Lowry, and Tirikatone, M.P.s, was set up following representations made in March last by the Leader of the Opposition, and meetings were held in the four main centres, where evidence was taken. Mr Jones paid a warm tribute to the members of the committee for the painstaking and thorough manner in which they conducted the inquiry, stating that the report was a most able and valuable one. The report, said the Minister, covered a wide field, and emphasised tho line spirit and keenness of the Homo Guard. PRIORITY. Dealing with the main features of the report, the Minister states that in deciding the role to bo played by the Home Guard in defence of the country the committee proposed that those battalions in areas most immediately essential for defence should be given priority and equipped to the utmost extent possible. This policy has already been adopted, and almost 60 per cent, of the total battalions in the Home Guard had been given priority in the manner suggested. The remainder have been issued with training requirements at least, and in many cases considerably more. There was admittedly a shortage of equipment in the early stages of the formation of the Home Guard, but since then the arrivaj of very large shipments from overseas, augmented in the case of some items by local production, has enabled a considerable improvement to bo effected. Issues of equipment would continue as supplies became available. The supply of .303 ammunition was now very satisfactory, but tho issue of .300 American rifles to Homo Guard units and tho present shortage in that ammunition necessitated restrictions in the training issue. The Minister said the position was being met, however, and the shipments to arrivo would rectify it. UNIFORM ISSUE. The increased -production of cloth and the retention of uniforms which New Zealand had agreed to supply overseas as part of the Empire supply organisation had enabled an increased issue of uniforms to the Home Guard. Large quantities were still required to provide a second uniform for troops permanently mobilised, as well as to complete the Home Guard, and’ production had been speeded up to tho maximum. To date 75,000 uniforms had been issued to the Guard, and an issue of 3,000 weekly would be made until the second suit of battle dress had been supplied to all members of the mobilised forces. s OTHER EQUIPMENT. Since the report was compiled the issue of boots to the Home Guard had increased from 59,000 pairs to 83,000. Stocks of grenades had now increased, and they had been issued to complete the training scales and war reserve of the Guard. The committee recommended that Guard units bo permitted to manufacture their own wireless sets. This, however, required strict control, as a variety of sets might imperil security, and consequently the manufacture of sets by the Home Guard could only be undertaken after the approval of specifications by Army headquarters. Orders had been placed to provide for several hundred sets to be made available for Home Guard signal instructors, who were being trained in Army schools. The enlistment of Maoris was also referred to by the committee, and the position had been met by the appointment of appropriate Maori committees and suitable liaison officers to act between these committees and those dealing with men for the Home Guard and E.P.S. organisation. PAYMENT FOR PARADES. Tho committee recommended the payment of attendance at parades, but stated there was a divergence of opinion on this question. Guardsmen called out for 24 hours or more are paid 7s daily, aud .rations and transport are provided if the period of mobilisation is for seven days or longer, and when the Guardsmen are attending instruction courses rates of pay and allowances are the same as for the Home Defence forces. The committee reported that there were strong requests that out-of-pocket expenses should be refunded to the men, and the Minister stated that it was intended to make arrangements under which parades of smaller units would be held, and so reduce the travelling expenditure. Alen outside the prescribed limits would carry out consolidated training as was done in the case of the Territorial Force. In the case of other expenditure, a good deal of this could have been met from the capitation allowance aud other existing authorities. Now that the units were better organised aud bad permanent staff, the difficulties had largely disappeared. A recommendation bad been made that the capitation allowance of £1 per annum to be paid on an annual basis be increased to £2 per annum. It had been decided, said the Minister, to pay on an annual basis, progress payments being made quarterly, with adjustments in the final! quarter. Provision had been made whereby if an increase in the, amount of allowance was required, then it would, be authorised. SIMPLER ADMINISTRATION. Referring to the recommendation by the committee for improvement in administrative work and simplified procedure, the Minister said an improvement was already apparent, due to the appointment of additional officers and warrant officers, and the increased experience of all concerned. Simplification of procedure would bo adopted where possible. The committee recommended that the duties of district and group directors should be more clearly defined. It had been decided, said the Minister, that these appointments would no longer be continued. Instead, inside each Army area, there would be appointed a number of zone commanders with a training and operational staff. These zone commanders would command the Territorial and Home Guard units within their zones. Any possibility of divided control would thus be avoided, and now there would be that closer fusion of the Home Guard, and the Territorial Army, which was not only desirable, but essential. The majority of the zone commanders would be appointed in a full-time capacity; the remainder on a part-time basis in the meantime; but the position of these would be reviewed at a later date. TRANSPORT. Transport is reported to be an urgent matter in the Home Guard, but it has been found imnossiblo with our present resources to provide tyres and petrol wherever tbey are needed However, whenever possible, transport was provided by the Army, and on mobilisation -any necessary transport wou’d be. available from the Lines of Communication. the Home Guard M.T. units, and the mobilised reserve motor transport

companies. Transport could not be made available to assembled units and sub-units from widely-separated localities for training purposes but parades by smaller units and the consolidated training of men living at distances would greatly ease the position. The Home Guard Committee’s report and General Puttick’s comments were tabled iu the House to-day.