E.P.S. TRAINING OFFICERS

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23917, 8 April 1943, Page 4

E.P.S. TRAINING OFFICERS

COMMENTS BY MAYOR REPLY BY MESSRS JOHNSTON AND SMITH Two of the four Christchurch men who attended the first Civil Defence School course yesterday made statements replying to the comments of the Mayor (Mr E. H. Andrews) at a City Council meeting on Monday. They dissociated themselves from an article appearing in a newspaper (to which the Mayor had referred) and said they had not at any time attempted to “run the show.”

The statement was made by Mr J. M. G. Johnston, and Mr W. Smith later intimated that he concurred In all that Mr Johnston had said. The statement was as follows: “As one of the. four men who were named in a newspaper J article on training plans, I wish to deny any responsibility in the publication of this article. I agree with the Mayor that the statement published on the training unit should never have been made without his consent. Anyone with a knowledge of E.P.S. matters knows that official statements on policy should come from Mr Andrews as controller of publicity, or with his expressed permission.

‘‘With regard to Mr Andrews’s outburst about ‘running the whole show,’ I would like to state that I have never, at any time, attempted to Tun the show,’ and never refused my assistance when it has been asked, as it has on many occasions. It is a pity the Mayor should see fit to condemn four members of the proposed training unit at a time when the suggested scheme was arousing enthusiasm among the different units, after a period of deadness.

“At the two meetings I have addressed, those of the central committee and the district wardens, it was clearly stated that the functions of the training unit were for training purposes, not control purposes. Until the training unit is officially recognised by the central committee, no definite plans can be laid down, but unofficial meetings have been held with representatives of the six front-line units, to suggest a scheme to submit to the Mayor to enable the central committee to define fully the functions of the training unit, and to appoint the necessary officers. “As*l have understood it, the matter of any actions by the training unit is subject to the direction of the chairman of the central committee.”