Insurance For Civil Defence Limited By Government

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 57, 22 July 1965, Page 1

Insurance For Civil Defence Limited By Government

There is only limited insurance available to members of the public hurt in civil defence exercises and Government will not countenance provision for further compensation. Lieutenant-Colonel G. T. Haines, deputy regional commissioner of civil defence, told a meeting in Taupo last night. The puhlic always had the opportunity to sue the Government for compensation through the courts, he added. Col. Haines was addressing a meeting of heads of sections for the Taupo district civil defence plan.

He made this comment after Mr F. Armstrong, who drew up the Taupo plan, had said that the matter of insurance had been the concern of many local bodies and civil defence groups. The chairman of the Taupo County Council, Mr H. M. Besley, said this matter had been the subject of a remit to Government at the last counties conference. Earlier, Mr BeslOy had called for a deep sense of responsibility in trying to make the scheme operative. Putting the plan into operation provided for a headquarters s e c t i o n which would he the focal point for action and for assistance from central government, said Col. Haines. More was going on in Government circles in connection with civil defence than ever before. The plan followed through the headquarters section to the wardens and the warden system today was very different from that which operated in World War 2. The wardens today were very much a part of the control organisation. Col. Haines emphasised that the warden was the controller's repesentative on the gound. "It is to the warden the general public must look in the event of something happening. At the same time the warden has to build up a picture of what is happening on the ground for headquarters."

Casualty was important and was not just the responsibility of the civil defence group — the Waikato Hospital Board had its part to play, too. Welfare had many facets and there was a lot of future planning required. Recruitment had to be emphasised and the public made to realise that civil defence was trying to do something for it and that in return the public had to help. "On the subject of equipment, the Government policy is that it should not stockpile. It is necessary to take a survey of what is available in the area." Later, Col. Haines said the civil defence group was empowered to requisition what it required in an emergency. Government would make

available a limited amount of i ex-Army equipment sueh as communication and first aid equipment as it came to hand. "Flainboyant" exercises were not of any real use except to caU the civil defence plan to the attention of the public. Exercises should be carried out indoors for at least two years with individual sections on sand-trays and with message passing. Ultimately, communications could be brought in and later the welfare section — indoors. The wardens could, perhaps, be brought into these exercises.