N.Z. HOME GUARD

Grey River Argus, 18 December 1940, Page 4

N.Z. HOME GUARD

NOW 40,000 STRONG. WELLINGTON, December 17. Home Guard enrolments were stated bv Mr. Semple, to-day, to be nearly 38,000 at December 7, and by now, would have exceeded 40,000. MORE YOUNG MEN WANTED. WELLINGTON, December 17. Stating Home Guard enrolments now e.xceed forty thousand men Hon. R. Semple, Minister of National Service, said: —“For some time the response was very disappointing, but during the last few weeks the public have evidently realised that the Home Guard are designed to play a very important part in the defence scheme for New Zealand, and the enrolments have more' than doubled during that period. For convenience of administration, and to ensure more efficient organisation, the country has been divided into twenty-seven Home Guard areas. The response in some areas has been excellent, while in others it has been very disappointing. However, the fact that 40,000 men have appreciated the necessity for preparing for any emergency that may arise, should awaken a sense of responsibility in the minds of many thousands of eligible men, particularly the younger men who have not yet joined.”