MEN SHOULD JOIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 93, 16 October 1940, Page 10

MEN SHOULD JOIN

SACRIFICE NEEDED

ADDRESS BY COL. COWLES

A public meeting organised by the Ngaio sub-committee of the Wellington Home Guard was well attended. Colonel A. Cowles, organiser of the Wellington Home Guard, was asked to clarify certain points, and to restate the aims and objects of the formation of the guard. Colonel Cowles said that the Home Guard was being organised for the purpose of having available all the manpower in New Zealand in case of invasion or attack, and to have the whole civil population organised and instructed how to act in an emergency. In view of the critical international situation it was of paramount importance that the whole population should be organised!, that every man should know his place and be placed in the best position to enable him to pull his weight. "The people have not yet fully realised the danger we are in, and although the newspapers have been generous in their publicity, a feeling of indifference is apparent," he said. It was the duty of each sub-commit-tee to arouse the people in its districts to the need of wholehearted and unselfish service. When one thought of the suffering in Britain and the sacrifice of life and property, it was little to ask of a man, in whatever station of life he might be to sacrifice a litte time, and a little energy, and a little pleasure. METHOD OF TRAINING. "The training of the various units will be arranged to suit the members I of the Home Guard and will be inter-! esting and will fit them for the duties! they will be called upon to perform," the colonel said. "Men in the 16 to 18 years group will receive physical and military training and this class should prove to be most useful in an emergency. The next class will be trained in musketry so that it will be able to act in conjunction with the Army, if needed. The older men will be trained as patrols, guides, and so on, to prevent the spread of fires and to prevent panic. "New Zealand owes it to the men who have gone away to fight, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the wives and children they have left behind them, and for that reason alone, there should be no delay in enrolment. "Men of special qualifications and skill will be posted to. the E.P.S. sections, where their knowedge will be most useful. Those who do not take the oath will be posted to one of the units of the E.P.S.—works, communications, fire brigade, etc. A full state, ment about these units will be published shortly." LIABILITY FOE ACCIDENT. The question of liability for accident while in training or on service was discussed, and satisfaction wag expressed at the Mnister's statement that cases of accident would be sympathetically considered on their merits. The impossibility of a blanket cover was realised, and the chairman, Mr. D. B. Mackersey, stated that he thought the Minister's assurance was satisfactory and should be accepted as such, and that opinion was fully endorsed by the meeting. The opinion was expressed that the Minister's statement would clear the air and remove what was a difficulty in the way of enrolment. The following committee was