HOME GUARD

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4510, 18 March 1941, Page 2

HOME GUARD

LOCAL ACTIVITIES The local Home Guard paraded in good numbers iu the Garrison Hall on Friday last. The training was confined to short i onto marches and rifle drill. Colonel W. I. K. Jennings, Staff-officer, headquarters of Home Guard, Wellington, was present and had with him Major P. Mackenzie V D., area commander, Capt. F. JTempero D.C., First .Upper Battalion, Capt. R. A. McGregor, Arijt, First Battalion (Cromwell), and Lieut C. H McKay, second-in-command, First Upper Battalion. Local officers present were; Lieut. R. J. Fuller O.C-, No. 1 Company, Lieut. J. Mackenzie second-in-command and platoon commanders J. S. Royds, T. S ■ Lonsdale and G .Miller and Surgeon W. A. Anderson. Visitors also present were Lieut. W H. Thompson, plato 0 n commander, G. M. Hansen M.M., Sergt--major M. Elliott, Sergts. Willis Shaw and D. R. Rowe.

Colonel Jennings addressed the guardsmen on the activities and purposes of the Home Guard. He fspoike of the precautions that were necessary, especially in coastal towns against possibility of invasion. Col. Jennings spoke of the probability of the issue of serviceable rifles in place of the present ones, ammunition and uniforms.

Colonel Jennings said the appeal for rifles had received a disappointing response. Owners of rifles in the Home Guard would have the use of their own rifles and in the event of their having more than one, they could nominate the use of the other rifles they possessed. He ad\ ised owners if not already members to join the Home Guard, or if unfit or over age, to hand over the rifle or nominate it to a friend in the guard. Ammunition would be available. They were the biggest army in New Zealand, now nearly 90,000 strong. The Government had decided to takeover the liabilities of headquarters and districts and they were giving a ciapritation of Is per quarter for each man efficient with 75 per cent, of his parades. The .Government had treated them very handsomely because the Is for the first three months of this year would carry an additional Is for the three months of last year This should help them with their incidental expenses.

He expressed his pleasure at the bearing of the local guardsmen and spoke in encouraging terms of the possibilities of achieving something worthwhile in assisting in the defence of the country. OBLIGATIONS TO SERVE. MINISTER'S WIDE POWERS. The recently-adopted amendments to the Emergency Service Corps Regulations, 1910, made it clear that the Minister of National .Service, Mr R- Semple, may direct any individual at his discretion to servo in the Home Guard-

The National Service Emergency Regulations .gazetted last June empowered the Minister to require any member of the General Reserve, which comprises all persons over 16, to perform any specified civilian serviceThis power was extended in September to include service in the Emergency Service Corps, which includes the Home, Guard, until such time as the latter may be incorporated in the armed forces to meet an emergency- . The amending regulations clinch the matter by laying down that every person who directed by the Minister under his existing power's to serve in the Home Guard “shall thereupon become a member of the Home Guard in the same manner to all intents and purposes as if he had voluntarily enrolled therein and had been attested- 1 ’

Another amendment abolishes the previous requirements that commanders and other officers are to be appointed from among members of the guard- The Minister is also empowered to prescribe the conditions of service by order and to provide for the imposition of disciplinary fines not exceeding £2 by the district and area commanders subject to review by the Dominion commander-

The amendments validate any informalities that may have occurred in the appointment of committee members or commanders, in the establishment of committees, or in the subdivision of areas, particularly by Lack of consultation with local bodies-