HOME GUARD CONTROL

Southland Times, Issue 24875, 15 October 1942, Page 5

HOME GUARD CONTROL

Appointment Of Zone Commanders COMMITTEE’S REPORT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, October 14. Reference to administrative changes in the Home Guard is contained in a statement by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, which accompanies the report of the War Council Committee that inquired into the affairs of the Home Guard. The Minister said the committee had recommended that the duties of the district and group directors should be more clearly defined and it had been decided 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 the 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 part time basis in the meantime, but the position of these would be reviewed at a later date. ISSUE OF EQUIPMENT Dealing with the main features of the report, the Minister states 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 had already been adopted. There admittedly had been a shortage of equipment in 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 considerable improvement to be effected. The supply of .303 ammunition was now very satisfactory, but the issue of .30 American rifles to Home Guard units and the present shortage of that ammunition necessitated restrictions in the training issue. The Minister said the position was being met, however, and shipments to arrive would rectify it. , UNIFORMS AND BOOTS To date 75,000 uniforms had been issued to the Guard and the issue of 3000 weekly would be made until a second suit of battledress had been supplied to all members of the mobilized forces. Since the report had been compiled the issue of boots to the 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 the war reserve of the Guard. The committee recommended that Guard units should be 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 the specifications by Army Headquarters. Orders had been placed to provide for several hundred sets to be made available for the Home Guard signal section, .the instructors in which were being trained in the Army schools. The committee recommended payment for attendance at parades, but stated that there was a divergence of opinion on this question. Guardsmen called out for 24 hours or more are paid 7/- daily and rations and transport are provided. If the period of mobilization is for seven days or longer or when guardsmen are attending instruction courses the rates of pay and allowances are the same as for home defence forces. GUARDSMEN’S EXPENSES 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 travelling expenditure. 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 be met from the capitation allowance and other existing authorities. Now that the units were better organized and had a permanent staff, the difficulties had largely disappeared. 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 an annual basis, progress payments being made quarterly with adjustments in the final quarters. Provision had been made whereby if an increase in the amount of the allowance was required then it would be authorized. TRANSPORT PROBLEM Transport was 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, whenever possible transport was provided by the Army and on mobilization any necessary transport would be available from the Lines of Communication, Home Guard M.T. units and the Mobilized Reserve. Motor transport was available to the assembled units and sub-units from widely separated localities for training purposes, but parades by smaller units and consolidated training of men living at distances would greatly ease the position. , , . , “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 its position,” said Mr Jones. . The committee of inquiry consisted of the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C. (chairman), Major-General Sir Andrew Russell, Messrs L. G. Lowry, M.P., and E. T. Tirikatene, M.P. The report has been considered by the Government and discussed with Lieutenant-General E. Puttick, the officers of his staff and the Director-General of the Home Guard, Brigadier R. Young.