HOME GUARD PLANS

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1940, Page 8

HOME GUARD PLANS

By Telegraph—Press Association.

ENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORT REVIEW BY HON. D. WILSON

Wellington, Sept. 11. "I am very pleased indeed with the enthusiastic support received from local bodies in connection with the formation of the Emergency Reserve Corps, and in particular the New Zealand Home Guard," said the a'ssociatc-Mihister of National Service, the Hon. D. Wilson, M.L.C., when referring to his recerit meetings with representatives of local bodies in various parts of the North Island. Mr. Wilson has been assisting the Minister of National Service, Mr. Semple, in a national campaign for the inauguration of the Emergency Reserve Corps, and has addressed meetings at Masterton, Napier, Gisborne, Whakatane, Rotorua, New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui, Paeroa and Whangarei, to whicli' a total of 117 local bodies sent representatives. At several of these meetings there were also prtsent representatives of the Returned Soldiers' Association, hospital boards and other public bodies, the inviting of such additional representatives having been left to the local authorities which will administer the Home Guard and the emergency precautions organisations under the respective regulations.

Complete Orgauisation. Discussing his tour, the Minister said that practically all the meetings he had attended had passed resolutions supporting the Government in its proposals with respect to both the Home Guard and the emergency precautions organisation, and pledging their wholehearted support. It had been found that most local authorities had already taken definite action in connection with the formation of the emergency precautions organisations, and in several instances full committees had be- . set up and a complete organisation mapped out according to the regulations. Mr Wilson said that it was quite evident that the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. 'Parry, had been most successful in getting the emergency precautions scheme established, and the National Service Department, which had taken over this function from Internal Affairs for the duration of the war, had a firm foundation on which to build. While local authorities fully appreciated the work that the Department of Internal Affairs had done with respect to the emergency precautions scheme, it was now felt by them that as the activities of this organisation were so closely related to the functions of the Home Guard, the Government was to be congratulated in incorporating in the Emergency Reserve Corps both organisa.tions together with the Women's War Service Auxiliary. Overlapping to be Avoided. Mr. Wilson mentioned that one of the points which he had endeavoured to impress on local body representatives was the advisability, when accepting enrolments in the Home Guard, of being particularly careful not to interfere with the emergency precautions organisation, where such had been established. In those localities where the organisation for emergency precautions had not already been fully developed, he had suggested that the local committee should decide whether volur.teers were more suitable for the emergency precautions organisation, or for the Home Guard, and abbve all avoid enrolling prospective members in both. There had already been prepared an enrolment form for the Home Guard, and while a number of local authorities had prepared individual enrolment forms for the emergency precautions scheme, to ensure • uniformity the National Service. Department now" had in hand the preparation of an emergency precautions scheme enrolment form for use by local committees. The associate Minister said that he had also streased that the Government desired local authorities to have as much local autonomy as possible, and to secure the utmost flexibility of control, it was suggested that such considerations as geographical features and community of interests should. be taken into account when fixing the localities to be included in any particular area. The centres at which meetings had been held had appointed provisional committees to delimit the area and to function till each local committee appointed its representatives on the permanent area committee. In the appointment of committees local body representatives had been urged to secure the representation of all sections of the community, such as the New Zealand Farmers' Union, the workers' organisations, the Returned Soldiers' Association, and the business peo-. ple. If this were done it was felt that entire unanimity would be obtained, a factor which was absolutely essential for the complete success of both the Home Guard and the emergency precautions organisation. Voluntary Organisation. '• In a number of places it had been found that excellent work was being done by voluntary training organisations, such as the Legion of Frontiersmen, the members of which would form a most valuable nucleus of the Home Guard. At Gisborne, for instance, where the legion had some 200 members, the Minister had been informed that they would all become members of the Home Guard. New Plymouth had also been doing splendid work in connection with voluntary training, and it had been explained that those taking part in such training had set aside at least one night weekly with which no other engagements were allowed to interfere. Here again these volunteers would be glad to join the Home Guard, and thus receive official recognition. Mr. Wilson said that in the North Island it was proposed to hold four more meetings, and that these would take place at Hamilton, Te Kuiti, Palmerston North and Wellington, and would cover local authorities in the surrounding districts which had not so far been invited to send representatives to one of the meetings already held. In all probability Mr. Semple would himself address these meetings in the North Island on completion of his South Island tour.