TRAINING OF E.P.S. PERSONNEL

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 3, 29 September 1942, Page 4

TRAINING OF E.P.S. PERSONNEL

Two Schools To Be Set Up DUTIES FOR WOMEN AND BOYS

Dominion Special Service. WAIPUKURAU, 'September 28.

The establishment of two emergency precautions service training schools in Wellington for personnel drawn from all parts of New Zealand had: been decided upon by the War Cabinet, said the Minister of Civil Defence, Mr. Bodkin, in a survey of E.P.S. activities. After receiving reports from the technical advisers sent from England, the Government had recognized that steps should be taken to increase the training of certain civil defence personnel and the suggested schools would be similar to the Army schools for training non-commissioned officers. When they had completed the course the personnel would return to their units. The position in the country districts was different from that in metropolitan areas and chief (ports, Mr. Bodkin continued, but it remained that, in the city or in the country “every man must be employed where there js the greatest need. Every fi t man must be trained as a soldier and his duty therefore was to join the Home Guard. “This may and probably will mean the depletion of the ranks of the E.P.S., but the deficiency can be made up of men over military age, men who do not measure up to military requirements, lads of 16 to 18 years of age, and women.” In fact, added Mr. Bodkin, he thought the time was coming when lads of 16 would have to he compelled to register. . ■ In country districts such as Walpukurau, there would be need for a greater number of women for civil defence, and in this connexion he was satisfied that women were capable of a greater share of duties. Already in many parts of the Dominion women were becoming as efficient as men in some departments of the training, notably” infire-fighting (as at Timaru), in the medical section and in the transport and law nnd order positions. They were, he added, doing extraordinarily fine work for the ’E.B.'S.