ESTABLISHMENT OF CORPS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21194, 17 August 1940, Page 8

ESTABLISHMENT OF CORPS

PRECAUTIONS SCHEME AS PART DEFENCE AND CONTROL OF SERVICES (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Saturday The Emergency Reserve Corps Regulations and the Emergency Precautions Regulations are published today in an extraordinary Gazette. Explaining these regulations, the Minister of National Service, the Hon. R. Semple, said the Emergency Precautions Regulations provided legal authority for the organisation through local authorities of the emergency precautions scheme inaugurated some time ago. The scheme was formulated to provide a Dominion-wide organisation for the control in any locality of all essential services in the event of natural disaster or enemy action. The Emergency Reserve Corps, said Mr Semple, was for the purpose of assisting in the preparation and operation of plans for the defence of New Zealand in an emergency. The Corps would consist of the Home Guard, emergency precaution organisations, and Women s War Service Auxiliary, and any other organisations which might from time to time be deemed part of the Corps.

Part of Reserve Corps “ Cabinet has decided,” said Mr Semple, “ that as Minister of National Service I should take over from Mr Parry the administration of the emergency precautions scheme for the duration of the war. This decision was made because the emergency precautions scheme forms merely one section of the Emergency Reserve corps constituted under the Emergency Corps Regulations, and it is most desirable that the functions and activities of the emergency precautions scheme should be co-ordin-ated with the activities of other sections of the Emergency Reserve Corps. “ The Emergency Reserve Corps has been established for the purpose of assisting in the preparation and operation of plans for the defence of New Zealand in any emergency, and for maintaining supplies and services essential to the life of the community. “ The corps will consist of Home Guard, all emergency precautions organisations, without in any way altering their present form of organisation by local bodies, Women’s War Service Auxiliary, and such other organisations as may from time to time be deemed part of the corps. “ The Women’s War Service Auxiliary, which has been established, is a Dominion-wide organisation set up for the purpose of directing and co-ordinating the war activities of all existing women’s organisations. This body, which is already doing very good work, will shortly be setting up committees in all the main centres. Provisions For Compulsion The terrible experiences of the Murchison and Hawke’s Bay earthquakes, said Mr Semple, made it clear that a properly planned scheme should be formulated m each district to meet any emergency that might arise,- and thus avoid the natural disorganisation and chaos that might otherwise result. “Most local authorities with great enterprise and foresight,” continued the minister, have already prepared efficient emergency precautions schemes, or have them well under way, but any local authority which has not yet prepared a scheme should do so immediately.

Under the regulations, local authorities who have not prepared any emergency precautions scheme can be required to do so, but this action should be entirely unnecessary when the need for and value of a carefully planned scheme is fully appreciated. As in the case of local body schemes already established, framework of the emergency precautions scheme will provide for the establishment of various committees and controllers, whose functions in the event of an emergency will be clearly defined. For example, the local controller of supply will be responsible for the provision and distribution of all food, clothing and other necessities; the local controller of transport for the control and distribution of transport; the local controller of medical services for all first-aid and hospital treatment, public health and sanitation.

“Provision will also be made for law and order and many other important matters requiring attention in an emergency.