Home Guard Strength Now at 100,000

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 99, 28 April 1941, Page 4

Home Guard Strength Now at 100,000

MEN’S ENTHUSIASM Par Presa AssociationCHRISTCHURCH, April 26. New Zealand now has 100,000 Home Guardsmen, the figure set as the original figure when the campaign was inaugurated five months ago by the Minister of National Service, Mr R. Semple. Air Semple said that the organisation would continue to take all the men who volunteered. He was most impressed with the remarkable enthusiasm of the men. There was nothing that they would not do In the country district* the enthusiasm was amazing. For a time the cities lagged behind, but in recent weeks they, too, had come up to scratch. After referring to the work of the women’s organisations and the Emergency Precautions Scheme, the Minister said: “New Zealand is organised to-day as it has never been before in its history. There is, of course, still a lot of finishing work to be done. For instance, the men of the Home Guard have yet to receive equipment, but preparations to that end are in hand. “There is a little impatience on the part of some people, but I want them to appreciate the fact that the difficulties are something over which we have no control. These difficulties will disappp? s ** iu '■in® ■ ° >“'l t ...wcc to have patience and faith. “The Women’s Auxiliary will work in with both the Home Guard and the E.P.S., and many channels of activity are now open to women so that they may ease the strain of manpower very materially. In Britain, women are doing many kinds of jobs to ease the strain on manpower and they are doing them with the highest degree of efficiency. What the women of Britain can do, the girls of this country can and will do equally well, for they are made of the same stuff.”