PEACETIME WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 129, 2 June 1944, Page 4

PEACETIME WORK

E.P.S. ORGANISATION

"government subsidy

To assure local bodies of the continued support of the Government, the principle of paying a subsidy on E.P.S. expenditure had been approved, and an officer of the Department would visit the larger centres of the Dominion to discuss the basis of post-war reorganisation of the service, stated the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr. Parry) last night.

. Ministerial control of the emergency precautions services was taken over by Mr. Parry following the appointment of the Minister of Civil Defence (Mr. Wilson) to the position of High Commissioner in Canada. Mr. Parry said the Government desired to maintain interest in the E.P.S as a continuous peacetime service, but regarded the work largely as a local authority function. It was not expected that all the aspects of the E.P.S. which had been necessary to meet war conditions would be carried on to meet peacetime emergency, said Mr. Parry. Stress needed to be. placed on the medical section to meet the possible threat of epidemic and on the fire section to assist in safeguarding any material that might be of importance to the war effort. On the other hand, now that the war position had eased in the South Pacific, it seemed to be opportune to broaden the basis of E.P.S. to include other sides of civil activities as well as preparation to meet the eventualities of earthquake and flood. .. "The work already being carried out by E.P.S. units," the Minister added, "has been excellent, and many: notable achievements were attained by the organisation in the comparatively short period of its existence. It has brought together men and women from air walks of life, which has done much to create a spirit of community interest. The hope is expressed that plans in hand for the operation of the scheme in future will do even more to cement this feeling." The Minister said he thought it was generally agreed that the men of the Emergency Fire Service had done splendid work. It had now been found possible to release the men, except those at Auckland, from their present fire service responsibilities. It was intended to call in the uniforms in the same way as had .been done with the Home Guard. It was hoped that the benefits of the training the men had received would not be entirely lost to the community and that disbanded E.F.S. members would volunteer for service in the appropriate section of the E.P.S.