GENERAL CALL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 January 1942, Page 4

GENERAL CALL

CIVIL DEFENCE SERVICES

MEN BETWEEN 18 AND 66. NOT ALREADY ENGAGED IN WAR DUTIES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Important policy steps with regard to the enrolment of personnel for the Emergency Precautions and other civil defence services are announced by the Government in a statement which points out that the outbreak of war in the Pacific has necessitated an urgent review of the whole question of manpower to fill necessary services. Thousands of additional members are required to bring the services to their minimum establishment, taking into account the necessity for providing for wastage under actual emergency conditions and wider functions in connection with fire-watching and other duties. After a comprehensive review of the whole position, the Government has decided that the service is to be spread more equitably over all sections of the community. The work performed by the civil defence services being for the safety of the whole community, the principle of spreading hardship or sacrifice as equally as possible applies to them with as much force as to the armed forces. An equitable spreading of sacrifices among all sections of the community places on every fit man an obligation to perform national service. Appropriate amendments to the National Service Emergency Regulations have been passed and the War Cabinet has decided that the Minister of National Service shall now issue an order directing, with necessary exceptions, the enrolment in the Emergency Reserve Corps of all male persons who have attained the age of 18 years but who have not attained the age of 66 years. By these measures the principle of compulsory service, securing equality of treatment, will be applied to all male British subjects between 18 and 66. Exempted classes are as follows: — (1) Men in receipt of invalid pensions. »

(2) Inmates for the time being of hospitals, mental hospitals, blind institutes and prisons. (3) Men already enrolled in the Home Guard and National Military Reserve, the E.P.S., or any other branch of the Emergency Reserve Corps. (4) Men actively attached to ( any branch of the armed forces. Men between the ages mentioned .who are not included in one of the exempted classes are required to complete a form of enrolment and to forward it within 14 days to the nearest E.P.S. headquarters. An acknowledgment of the enrolment will be given. Each man will be interviewed ’by an officer of the E.P.S. so that his availability and suitability for service can be fully examined. In the allocation of personnel to different branches of the Emergency Reserve Corps, full regard will be given to the circumstances of each man in order to secure the fairest possible distribution of service throughout the whole population. Separate arrangements are being made foi' continuous fire-watching service in certain vulnerable areas. Building and fire wardens will make direct contact with all men in buildings under their control and from these liable for service they will select sufficient personnel to man a continuous service. Any shortages of personnel will be made up from adjoining buildings or otherwise. Personnel for traffic police services in rural areas will be selected directly by officers in the districts concerned.

At the present time the number of women enrolled for service in the Emergency Precautions Service is regarded as satisfactory, particularly when reserves serving in the various branches of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary are taken into account. Attention is being directed to the registration of women, with a view to the wider use of their services in essential industries, to cope with the demand for increased production and to replace men being called up for service in the armed forces.