The Press SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1942. E.P.S.

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23807, 28 November 1942, Page 4

The Press SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1942. E.P.S.

It is at least something gained that the members of the Christchurch Metropolitan E.P.S. organising committee have agreed to remain in office until the question of reconstituting the central committee has been disposed of. The proposal to reconstitute it appears to have been originated, or adopted and urged, by the Minister of Civil Defence, and was approved by a meeting of local body representatives a few days ago; but it remains far from clear on what grounds reconstitution was considered necessary and what form it will take. It may be conjectured that one aim was to bring within the metropolitan system, for instance, the Sumner borough, whose council has endorsed the proposal; but it is difficult to believe that total reconstitution is required to achieve this single object, or any other of equivalent importance. The Minister’s statement shows merely that the local body representatives—the Christchurch City Council not being represented—agreed that “ a smaller “ central committee ” should be established, on a basis of local representation “to be mutually agreed “ upon,” and that representation should be extended, also, to a small number of other organisations, such as the Federation of Labour, employer organisations, and the W.W.S.A. This was, in other words, an agreement to reconstitute on the basis of another agreement, still to be reached. The Christchurch City Council was not a party to this preliminary agreement. The difficulty of securing the projected agreement upon a constructive principle rather than an arbitrary one was unconsciously exposed by the Minister when he said that the meeting “ realised ” that representation should bear “ some relation ” to the financial obligations of local authorities. In a situation of disturbing obscurity, thgre is as yet little or no evidence to enable the public to understand on what grounds the present central committee is considered by the Minister and others to be badly constituted, or in what way the proposed reconstitution may be expected to improve it. Two things are clear, however. One is that the movement, which the Minister has directed or encouraged holds at least this threatening possibility, that it may impair or destroy a sound working organisation and fail to reconstruct as efficiently. The second is that the Emergency Reserve Corps Regulations contain provisions which can be used to enforce the proposed or any other reconstitution, if no agreement is reached. The four members of the organising committee, therefore, have been wise to decide that they will remain at their posts, while this difficult issue remains to be dealt with. It may be decided in such a way as to preclude all possibility of their serving further. That must be recognised, and is perhaps the meaning of Mr Machin’s reference to a “flank attack.” Such a result would be deplorable. The Mayor rightly said that it was “ the desire “of the people of Christchurch ” that the members of the committee should continue their work. It is impossible to believe that the reconstitution issue cannot be settled, as it ought to be, on terms which will permit them to do so. If it is, they will, it is to be hoped, reassure the Mayor and the public by withdrawing their resignations.