“GET TOGETHER"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 February 1941, Page 6

“GET TOGETHER"

HOME GUARD ANU E.P.S.

MOVE FOR CO-ORDINATiON.

DECISION OF LAST NIGHTS

MEETING

Delinile action was taken last night to co-ordinate the Home Guard. E.P.S. and Women's Auxiliary, the three

section-, ol the Emergency Corps. This move resulted from an incident which occurred at a parade of Hie Home Guard anti E.P.S. at Solway Showgrounds on Sunday last, when some I'rietion occurred regarding the taking of a vote to ascertain the feeling of the men towards Sunday or Saiurdttv parades.

Foliowing this incident, the Mayor. Mr ’l. Jordan, who is also chairman of the E.P.S. and Home Guard committees. to use his own words, left the ground and went home, as he did not want to start a riot. Mr Jordan presided at last night's meeting of the Home Guard and E.P.S. committees, which decided unanimously to bring about co - ord ina t i on.

Stating that the meeting was held as the result of a regrettable experience on Sunday last, Mr Jordan said it was hoped to clear up the whole situation, which was more or less obscure. He did not propose to go into the details of what happened last Sunday, but to see if they could prevent a recurrence| of that kina of thing on any future j occasion. A great deal of the trouble, he said, was due to misunderstanding.) The Home Guard and E.P.S. represent-1 cd two-thirds of the home defence of I the country; the other third was the j Women’s Auxiliary. The idea behind* the whole scheme was that each of; these organisations should be the complement of the other. The underlying' principle tn both the Homo Guard and E.P.S. sections was to enrol and train men best fitted for their respective duties, which was' not hard to accomplish. They had to get together and there should not be any difficulty about that. The men of the Home Guard and the E.P.S. should work in) the very closest co-operation but up to; the present they had not had it. There* had been a tendency to get the two or- i ganisations apart, an example of which they had last Sunday. The) whole principle of the scheme was* based on the co-operation of the twoj organisations and not in separating.; them. They had to get the maximum; benefit and must keep together. He had heard it said of the E P.S. men* that they were not soldiers. That; should not be said. He had also heard it said publicly that fit men should! join the Home Guard and if a man! was not tit he should see the Town! Clerk and join the E.P.S, That was altogether wrong. Mr Jordan stated that: he said to one of the officers of ’lite Home Guard that the police would want a number of special constables* and would probably look to find them! from the Home Guard, because they) were attested ami trained men. The*

i Home Guard officer said: "That is no i good to me. taking away men from my j section.” That was not the spirit, obj served Mr Jordan. Their job was to train mon for an emergency and the men should be available, either front ! one section or the other, to meet sucli : a position. To Say the men should not jbo taken out of any section was not j consistent with what the organisation i was set up for, CONFERENCE DECISIONS. Mr Jordan proceeded to read the dej visions of the conference with the Associate Minister of National Service, the Hon. 1) Wilson, which stated that the organisation should not be under military control, but should work with the guidance and assistance of the military authorities and be available to them to the extent that might be necessary and practicable, having regard to the nature of the emergency;and that (he organisation should be ! arranged with the active help and co-; : operation tyf local authorities, who- - would co-opt representatives of, oilier bodies. It was agreed that the most effective way to organise the! force was by enlisting the services (if local bodies, utilising the local know--ledge find interest and facilities at; their command. Suitable arrange-, ments would be required so that in! certain areas one particular local body . would operate, whereas in others, par-j licularly m rural areas, some zoning! would be necessary with one local body designated as the principal au-; thority In every case, the local body: concerned would set up a .small committee, co-opting to it representatives* from interested bodies in the area The! essential functions of these local com--minces would be to select and enrol group leaders, troop leader--. section; leaders and yeomen, to arrange rendezvous or assembly places for scc“ lions, to provide, if necessary, tram--, port fi.ii’ training. to provide any required ufik'c accommodation and as-] sislaiire, to cwcrdinatc activities with those undet the Emergency I’rot-au-j lions Scheme and to maintain contact.. particularly in the early stages, withj 'he group leaders and the military; lire:: officers where necessary. M: ' Jordan suggested that* an execulivi should be set up of four <-r fiv< rm m-, tiers to emm'din.ile the whole orgams-’ In reply tn a que-tion by Mr W Kemp. Mr Jordan -Old >.m - < an <-mei-; l-iepcv aro-e marled law would be pm-1 ( claimed mid th<- mih'.-ry autlmritic'- 1 , would >:■- ehm;''- ( <t’•mt in tie* ■ - i i .o ; ■' - j (