E.P.S. AND HOME GUARD

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LXII, Issue 17, 4 March 1941, Page 1

E.P.S. AND HOME GUARD

TWO SEPARATE ORGANISA-

TIONS

GOVERNMENT OPPOSED TO

AMALGAMATION

There is some confusion of thought locally regarding the functions of the Emergency Precautions Scheme and the Home Guard. There has also been expressed an opinion that both should be amalgamated. These points have been cleared up by correspondence which has passed between the Whakatane County Council and the Minister for National Service.

The council asked the minister if the Government would authorise the Home Guard to organise and operate the Emergency Precautions Scheme in the county and would such operation by the Home Guard of an amalgamated scheme be in the district's best interests.

The reply was: "The Government will not authorise the Home Guard to organise and operate emergency precautions schemes. The two organisations are subject to different regulations and control .and duties differ. Syllabus of training for Home Guard will be mainly military in character and on proclamation issuing its personnel may be required to serve away from centre. Duties of E.P.S. include extinguishing fires, maintenance of law and order, control of traffic, attention to sick and injured, of communications, organisation for evacuees and generally to protect persons and property. It is essential that E.P.S. organisation has sufficient personnel to enable it to carry out its functions, but it is suggested that in small centres such as Whakatane the personnel need not be large."

In an earlier letter to the County Council, the Minister stated that it was correct to assume that the two bodies while co-ordinated in the matter of enrolments should be organised as separate units.

"The E.P.S. is a civil organisation under the control of the local authority assisted by special committees set up in accordance with the emergency precautions regulations of last year. Its duties in an emergency," stated the Minister, "are to mitigate human suffering, extinguish fires, control traffic, maintain law and order, restore communications and to do such other things necessary for the protection of persons and property within its area.

"The Home Guard is virtually a military organisation under the control of special officers appointed by the Minister of National Service. It is complimentary to the E.P.S., and is an addition to the military forces should a state of emergency arise. In event of such an emergency a proclamation may issue declaring the Home Guard to be part of the defence forces, in which case it would immediately come under* the control of the military authorities, and may be required to give its services away from the centre. It was therefore essential to have an effective personnel for the Emergency precautions scheme.

"To bring about the desired coordination between the two bodies it is advisable to appoint to the central committee of the E.P.S. a representative of the local Home Guard Committee. So far as training is concerned it should be remembered that arrangements have now been made under which the Home Guard will supply instructors in those cases where members of the E.P.S. desire to undergo some system of training."