HOME GUARD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20914, 14 October 1942, Page 4

HOME GUARD

EXCELLENT WORK WAR COUNCIL INQUIRY many recommendations (P.A.) WELLINGTON, this day. “I wish to take this opportunity or expressing my deep appreciation of the importance of the Home Guard jn the defence organisation of New Zealand,” said the Minister of Defence, "the Hon. F. Jones, in announcing that the recommendations of the committee of inquiry of the War Council or, the Home Guard, had now been considered by the Government and also had been discussed with Lieut.General E. Puttick, Chief of the General Staff, officers of his staff, and the Director-General of the .Home Guard, Brigadier R. Young.

•‘I am aware of the excellent work that has been done by the Home Guard all over the country and 1 am familiar .with the problems that confront them and of the conditions under which they operate,” Mr. Jones continued. “The main difficulties under which the Home Guard laboured" are gradually disappearing, and with a steady increase in the quantities of equipment available in New Zealand the ■ Home Guard can confidently look forward to a steady improvement in their position. The Minister in his statement said that the committee, consisting of the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., chairman, Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, Messrs. L. G. Lowry and E. T., Tirikatene, M.P’s, was set up following representations made in March last by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland. The report, said the Minister, covered a wide field and emphasised the fine spirit and keenness of the Home Guard. „ , Dealing with the main features of the report, the Minister stated that in deciding the role to be played by the Home Guard in the 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 already had 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 had been issued with training requirements at least and in many cases considerably more. There was admittedly a shortage of equipment m the /early stages of the formation of the Home Guard, but since then the arrival of very large shipments from overseas, augmented in the. case of some items by local production, had enabled a considerable improvement to be effected. s & Ammunition and Uniforms The supply of .303 ammunition was now very satisfactory, but the issue of .300 American rifles to Home Guard units and the present shortage in that ammunition necessitated restrictions in the training issue. The Minister said the position was being met, however, and shipments to arrive would rectify it. „ , ~ , Increased production of cloth, and the retentioh 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 the maximum. To date 75,000 uniforms had been issued to the Home Guard, arid an issue of 3000 a week would be made until the second suit of battledress had been supplied to all members of the mobilised forces, Since the report had been compiled the issue of boots to the Home Guard had increased from 59,000 pairs to 83,000. Stocks of grenades had been increased, and they had been issued tc complete the training scales and the war reserve of the Home Guard. The committee recommended that Home Guard units be permitted to manufacture their own wireless sets. This however, required strict control. The enlistment of Maoris was also referred to by the committee, and it was stated that 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 the E.P.S. organisation committee., The committee [recommended payment of attendance at parades, blit stated that there was divergence of opinion on this question. Guardsmen called out for 24 hours or more are paid 7s a day, and rations and transport are provided. If the period of mobilisation is lor seven days or longer, or when guardsmen are attending Instruction courses, the 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 could be held and so reduce travellingexpenditure. Men 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 and other existing authorities. Now that the units were better organised and had a permanent staff, the difficulties had largely disappeared. Capitation Allowance A recommendation had been made that the capitation allowance of £1 per annum be paid on an annual basis and that it be increased to £2 per annum. It had been decided, said the Minister, to pay on the 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 the allowance was required, then it would be authorised. ; The committee recommended mat 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 closer fusion of the Home Guard and Territorial Army, which was not only desirable but essential. The majority of the zone commanders would be appointed in a full-time capacity and the remainder on a parttime basis in the meantime, but the position of these would lie reviewed at a later date.' Transport is reported to be an urgent, matter in the Home Guard, but it had been found impossible with our present resources to provide tyres and petrol wherever they were needed. However, wherever possible transport was provided by the Army, and on mobilisation any necessary transport .would be available from the Hines of Communication (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 Lieut.-General Puttiek’s comments were tabled in the House of Representatives to-day.