UNITED EFFORT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 219, 16 September 1939, Page 12

UNITED EFFORT.

Work By Women Under Emergency Scheme.

Imt we i'ii|uii'c i- unity of purpose and action. The--c are not times for Inning any personal viewpoints. Thev are times when everyone should sink their personal views and join in one united ell'ort."' snid the Mayor of Auckland, sir hrnest Davis, at a meeting of women held in t lie City Council l hamliers yesterday afternoon for the

purpose cif acquainting recognised w utnen's organisations in the citv with the emergency precautions scheme. Just prior to Sir Ernest making his ill isc r\ at ion the f|iiestioti had been raised us to why the women's auxiliary, set up in connection with the emergency precautions scheme, was to lie replaced iiy a new executive.

It, wan explained by Mr. A. S. Bailey that the organisation of the emergency precautious scheme had 'been slightly altered n deference to the (iovernment, and there was no reflection on the original women's auxiliary. There were .">0 or more women's organisations in Auckland, and it was desired to secure unity of effort and as wide representation He* possible 01; the executive.

Sir Ernest gave an assurance that it was perfectly in order that the existing women's auxiliary should continue to supervise its scheme of training for women until the course of instruction was completed. He could not see how the present organisation s work was going to l>e interfered with in any shape or form by the new committee.

Those present filled the council chamber, and resolutions were pas«aed endorsing the principle that women's activities for emergency precautions be unified ami co-ordinated under the one heading, urging all women's organisations to co-operate in the work required for the protection of the city in case of emergency, and asking the central committee of the emergency precautions scheme to (incorporate in the framework of the scheme a women's auxiliary and add to the technical group committees a women's executive, with power to appoint sub-committees to carry out certain functions required under the scheme. Personnel of Committee. It was further agreed that the women's executive, which will be required to elect its own chairman # should be limited to 14 members, and consist of the following:—The Mayoress, Lady Davis, Mrs. W. R. Wilson, Miss E. Melville, Mrs. M. M. Dreaver, Miss G. M. Hemus, Mrs. W. T. Anderton, Mrs. Ray Wynne, Sirs. A. D. Campbell, Miss B. Cirnachan, Miss E. Bennet, Mrs. V. Cammell, Misa E. Nutsey, Mrs. M. Pilling and Mrs. A. M. Ferguson.

Sir Ernest presided at the meeting, which, he said, would enable representatives of women's organisations to become acquainted with the operations of the emergency precautions scheme and give women an opportunity of taking part in such emergency war work as might be required. He traced the development of the scheme, which, he added, was essentially one for operation only in the event of emergency. The contingencies for which it provided were major disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, pestilence, and enemy invasion or air raids. It was not a patriotic or war-fund-raising body, nor a military defence organisation. It was a civic emergency organisation which must be ready to function and regiment and discipline the community in its own interests should disaster unhappily overtake the city. The Government had recognised the organisation as the only body for the purpose in the metropolitan area, and the various local bodies had agreed on a. basis for financing the scheme. .Sir Ernest went on to refer to the part which women were invited to play in connection with the scheme. Co-ordination Imperative. For some months a women's auxiliary had been functioning and it had performed signal service, but with the main scheme under Government direction it was imperative that the activities of the women of the city should be co-ordinated under the officially recognised organisation. That was why lie was anxious to establish without delay, as an integral part, of the scheme, the E.P.S. women's auxiliary, as extended, and to add to the technical group committees a women's executive from the auxiliary. The functions proposed for the women's auxiliary were an enlargement on those previously covered. There were three main headings: Clerical workers, public health and general services, encompassing every activity from typing to cook- | ing, first aid to evacuation, and fire drill jto decontamination. For the control of thepe activities there would be a women's executive, and, in due course, sufficient sub-committees as were found to be necessary to ensure efficient working would be appointed. As Mayor. Sir Ernest explained that he was exercising his prerogative of nominating the personnel of the executive itself, which at the request of the Government, was restricted to fourteen members.

A detailed explanation of the ramifications of the emergency precautions scheme was given by the city engineer Mr. J. Tyler, who said that each committee was working out ita own salvation -with the object of attending to the needs of the civil population in time of emergency. He had been advised that it was the best organisation of its kind, on jMiper, in New Zealand.

Tn the discussion which ensued Sir Ernest disabused the minds of Mrs. W. K. Wilson and Miss E. Bonnet of the sujrjrestion that the existing women's organisation was being told that it had failed in its job, and he personally paid a tribute to the work accomplished to date 'by both women.

Miss Beunet referred to resolutions passed !by the Emergency Precautions Women's Auxiliary urging the incoming executive to preserve all the present activities, and pledging itself to keep faith with the women enrolled under its scheme of training by continuing to supervise the courses of instruction until they were completed.

Sir Ernest said that what was proposed was quite in order, and, as both Mrs. Wilson and Miss Bonnet were on the new executive, he fe>lt sure that everything would bo "ironed out" to the satisfaction of everyone concerned. He took tlic responsibility for instructing branches to carry on with the cquippi.n» of their emergency cheats. - °