TO SAFER AREAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 47, 25 February 1942, Page 7

TO SAFER AREAS

Women and Children

A meeting of representatives of E.P.S. organisations in Wellington and its vicinity was held yesterday to discuss the question of removal of women, children, and old people from danger areas to safer districts, on which matter regulations are being drafted by the Government. It was decided to advise a progressive and gradual evacuation, where circumstances permitted, to the homes of friends or relatives in country districts by private arrangement, so that, in case of general emergency, the burden upon evacuation officials would be lessened.

In a statement made after the meeting, the Mayor said it was stressed that it should not on any account be taken from that advice that there was knowledge of any immediate attack, or that there was any desire other than, to give such advice as would ensure to children the greatest possible measure of safety.

Correspondence in the last war between the Joint Committee of the Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John indicated plainly that the only buildings which are authorised to fly the Red Cross flag are those used exclusively for the reception of sick and wounded soldiers and are exclusively under the administration and control of the Army medical services. Civil hospitals and private houses, unless they conform to these requirements, are not protected under the Articles of the Geneva Convention and are therefore not entitled to fly the Red Cross flag.

Provision is made, however, by Article 27 of the Annex to The Hague Convention, for the protection of buildings dedicated to public worship, art, science, or charitable purposes," historic monuments, hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided that they are not being used at the time for military purposes. It is provided that such buildings, in sieges and bombardments, shall be indicated by distinctive and visible signs, and the sign which was in the last war adopted by the British Gov-ex-nment and notified to enemy Governments was a large stiff rectangular panel divided diagonally into two painted triangular portions, the upper portion black, the lower portion white. This sign may be displayed on the above-mentioned buildings.

In fairness to inmates of hospitals and other public institutions and to E.P.S. personnel on y duty in first-aid posts, it has been suggested to "The Post" that the Government should ascertain whether the protection mentioned above is still available today.

Four men who appeared before Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today, charged with failing to render military service, were committed to the defaulters' detention camp. They were Albert Edward Aiken, George William Driller, Richard George Smith, and Archibald Allan Shearer.