NATIONAL SERVICE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 January 1939, Page 6

NATIONAL SERVICE

DETAILS OF THE BRITISH SCHEME DIVISIONS OF THE MALE POPULATION. DEFENCE ARMY OF 1,200,000 MEN WANTED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.50 a.m.) RUGBY, January 24. The object of the Government’s voluntary national service scheme is two fold, (1) To fill vacancies in various branches of military and civil defence; and (2) to safeguard essential industries and services in war time. The second object, which involves prevention of the recruitment of persons who should be retained in war time in their peace time occupations, is the reason for the issue of a schedule of reserved occupations, while the first object will be achieved by the distribution of a National Service Guide, giving a simple description of various services. The schedule of reserved occupations covers between six and seven million men, of whom about three millions are over 45. Only about one in five of the mail population between 18 and 25 is affected by the schedule. The voluntary national service scheme aims at a civilian defence army of 1,200,000 also a reserve of 600,000.

NEW KIND OF WAR DEMANDS BRITAIN MAY HAVE TO MEET. NEED OF GOOD ORGANISATION. (Received This Day, 1.0 p.m.) LONDON, January 24. Sir John Anderson, in a speech at a national service rally, said: "The new kind of war we may have to face may differ in two ways from anything Britain has known for a thousand years. It will firstly be an aerial invasionsudden, swift and perhaps almost continuous. Secondly, there will undoubtedly be military objectives, but it will test the courage and steadiness of ordinary people. “We can give a double answer, firstly by a strong, well-equipped and active defence and secondly with what is wrongly called passive defence—namely, immediate action by an organised citizen army. In order to maintain the war effort, we must be ready to brace ourselves to meet the first shock at short notice and be prepared to see that the shock does not paralyse the nation.”