CORRESPONDENCE E.P.S. MATTERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 197, 22 July 1941, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE

E.P.S. MATTERS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —It has come to my knowledge that I am being criticised for doing nothing further about E.P.S. since the recent elections. I would therefore esteem it a favour if you would publish the iollowing: As I had been appointed chairman of the E.P.S. while a councillor I felt in honour bound after my defeat ut the elections to give the council an opportunity of confirming niy position or otherwise as they thought fit. Therefore on May 2Gth I wrote as follows : “The Town Clerk. —Sir, now that I am no longer a member of the City Council, I would cetoem it a favour if you would request tho Mayor and council to define my position as chairman of the Emergency Precautions System. As meet of tho committees have practically completed their reports a meeting of the general committee should be called in the very near future to finalise these matters. I consider that lit order to avoid unnecessary delay it would bo advisable to deal with this matter on Wednesday, if that could bo so arranged. I wish to make it quite clear that I am quite prepared to carry on this work if the council desire me to do so —but if they do not then please accept this letter as_ my resignation. I desire to set out very briefly what has been done to date in this organisation since my appointment some three months ago. “Medical public health.—Arrangements have been completed re tho establishment of 4 first-aid posts at the Public Hospital outpatients’ department, Central School, West End, and College Street Schools, also the establishment of tho necessary emergency hospitals. Arrangements have been made so that within two days 630 extra hospital bods could bo set up and within two further days an extra 200. At present a committee is working out the allocation of tho individual personnel for tlieso departments. When this is done this department will be able to function as a complete unit.

“Civic engineering works and service.This committeo under the chairmanship of Cr Hcatley has held several mootings atm is now at the stage of presenting its completo report at tlie next, meeting. Lius committee embraces electricity, gae, telephones, water, sewers, streets, etc., rescue parties, access clearing and buildings, decontamination, oil end petrol storage, and much work has been put into .it. This eommittco will require a fairly largo recruitment of skilled and unskilled labour for its ranks. . “Transport.—This committee under '.lie chairmanship pf Cr Smillic has been very busy and has intide excellent progress so far.’ This work is divided into several subsections as follows: (1) Private ears, t'-ixis, caravans, motorcycles; (2) trucks and lorries: (3) ambulances; (4) buses nnd service cars; (5) break-down trucks. All sections except (2) have been fully organised. I lie reason why the lorries arc not ready is because sonic arrangement has boon entered into between tho Government and those owners, through their Dominion organisation, to sot up a separate unit, the authority of which is not yot defined. The matter lias been taken up with tho Conmussioncr of transport by Cr buiillic mi<J has promised to set out the exact position after consultation with tho Ministers interested. Private car owners have already commenced parades and it is Imped to have them on the road training within the. next few weeks. Much i aluablo help .has. boon received from Messrs 8. I. McKenzie, B. L. Ebbcit and W. 11. Brown in the organisation of ibis work for which I should like to express to them my thanks.

“Fire. —This committeo under (Jr G rigor has also made excellent progress with its organisation. Mr C, V. Day anti the superintendent divided the city into 59 ureas. To dale they have recruited and eoinp.etcd the personnel for 34 of them, while that of the remaining 25 is nearing completion.. “Re Auxiliary Firemen. —The number required is 50 and to date 28 have. been mcdic/.lly examined and are in training,, while further recruits are awaiting medical examination. This is tiic highest percentage of any district in New Ecaland. “Communications. —This committee has completed an exhaustive preliminary report, and has recruited the whole of its personnel for E.P. work, with the.exception of runners whom it will require from the various schools. When the committee has boeu informed regarding the respective location of the various committees it will have its work finalised. “Law and order.—This committee is awaiting suitable personnel and still requires a large number of men for its ranks. I accept a largo proportion of the blame for this because at the time when Inspector Scott mado known his requirements J asked him to withhold his request to recruit these men from the llomo Guard because 1 feared it was going to clash with tho interests of the Homo Guard, something which I was anxious to avoid. I feel sure that the relationships between the Home Guard and the E.P.S. arc now on such a footing that this committee will soon bo able to muster its full quota. “Women's work.—This is under the con trol of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary with Mrs Mansfortl, patroness, and Miss Warburton chairman. Their registrntionf to (lute .number 440, and all arc boing drafted into their various departments for training. All the other committees are well on their way to completion of their arrangements. . , ... “General—l have tried to keep this work well before the public. I have addressed throe publie mootings, have given four talks over the air, and have twice ad. dressed members of tho Home Guard. I have striven to maintain the most friendly relationship with the Homo Guard. In all cases I have kept the broad issue before us and was very pleased when a committee to control both Home Guard and E.P.S. personnel was formed on April 18' This should promote still further cooperation botween both organisations and fie a distinct help towards the progress ot them both. I also saw tho need for to operation between the city and the various local bodies adjacent to our city. A eon fercnco of all these bodies was held and a co-operating committeo formed comprising the chairman of all the E.P.S. in those counties with the Mayor of Palmciston North as chairman. “Personnel.— Three months ago the personnel available was negligible. To-day tho total personnel registered and/or available i.s 1545 mado up as follows: Communications 151, works 96, first-aid 55, wardens 96. police 49, fire patrols 127, E.F.S. 32, transport 155, traffic 19, St. John Ambulance (not including largo class at present training) 100, Red Cross 227, Women's War Service Auxiliary 440, “I should like to express niv thanks to all chairmen, secretaries and members of the various comniittoes for their very loyal support and co-operation, without which these results could not have been obtained; to Mr MeDavitt (the secretary) and to 2ZA for allowing me to broadcast the work of various committees. Particularly do I desire to thank Lieut. Cioehctto, the area commander, Major Mewett, and officers and men of the Home Guard for tlieir most ready co-operation and support in all matters. In conclusion, I would like to point out that much detail work still ieo,fires to be done; most other cities have been working on their schemes for anything from one to two years before holding their trials, hut I am confident of this : that within another month we will be able to try out various sections of the work and with regular practice we will develop a perfect organisation. | On July i 1 received a note Horn the town clerk enclosing a copy of the resolution passed at the council meeting the previous evening, as follows: “That the report he received and that Mr Tcnnent be congratulated upon the results achieved, and lie be advised that the previous resolution ot the council appointing him chairman had been ultra vires as the E.l -S. regulations provide that the Mayor be chairman, and that, accordingly, Ins resignation be accepted with regret, and that the matter of the appointment ot Mr Tcnnent to any position in the E.P. organisation be referred to the executive committee of the scheme. As nothing of this matter appeared in the Press I presume this was the

discussion which took place in committee The Mayor called a meeting of the Jfi.P.S. for Thursday, July 10, the report of which appeared ill your paper;, the following evening, but even though X am still chairman of one of the ! sub-committees I was not notified of the meeting, nor was I invited ■ to attend. Once I had asked the council to define my position I could not do anything further until they had given their decision. I therefore leave it to i your readers alter reading the above iif J have been dilatory, in mv duty ! as chairman of the K.P.S.—Yours, etc., j W. 13. TENNENT.