Leave From Home Guard Training May Be Granted

Taranaki Daily News, 26 August 1942, Page 4

Leave From Home Guard Training May Be Granted

Wellington, Aug. 25. Instructions issued by Army H-ead-quarters give Home Guard battalion commanders authority to grant leave from training or from individual parades to members who are called on for extensive overtime on essential work. A statement to this effect is made in a letter to the New Zealand Manufacturers' Fiederation from the Director of National Service, Mr. J. S. Hunter. "While no hard and fast rule has been laid down as to the number of hours which would entitle a worker to exemption from Home Guard parades," says Mr. Hunter, "it is felt that if any genuine cases are properly represented to battalion commanders no difliculty will be experienced in obtaining relief from Home Guard training." Mr. Hunter expresses the opinion | that no difficulty should arise in the case of E.P.S. workers because of the limited

amount or training involved. Where such training conflicte with the doing of essential work he thinks relief can be obtained by making representations to the proper authority. "Because of the extensive training and duty required of members of the Emergency Fire Service," says Mr. Hunter, "some conflict has arisen in respect of service in the E.F.S. and performance of essential work. By arrangement with the commanding officers of the E.F.S. , a large number of men have been exempted from billet duty and the position has been reasonably met in all centres. It is not possible to lay down a hard and fast rule whereby members of the E.F.S. will be exempted from training or billet duty if they are working a certain number of hours overtime each week, but individual cases will be dealt with sympathetically on their merits."