Advocate Conscription Of Home Guardsmen

Northern Advocate, 22 May 1941, Page 6

Advocate Conscription Of Home Guardsmen

[Special to “Northern Advocate”! AUCKLAND, This Day.

BY 42 VOTES TO 22, THE AUCKLAND PROVINCIAL CONFERENCE OF THE FARMERS’ UNION, WHICH IS SITTING AT AUCKLAND, EXPRESSED THE OPINION THAT IT SHOULD BE MADE COMPULSORY FOR ALL ELIGIBLE MEN TO JOIN THE HOME GUARD.

It was also considered that attendance at parades should be compulsory, the granting of excuses for non-attendance to be left to the discretion of the company commander.

Keen interest was taken in the discussion. A Paparoa delegate pointed out that the subject was by no means as simple as it appeared.

Who, he asked, was competent to say whether or not a person, particularly an elderly man, was tit to undertake marching in formation.

Undesirable Conscripts

A delegate who had commanded a platoon in the Waikato said it would be a heavy liability to carry on if he had to deal with undesirable elements who would be included in those men who refused to join voluntarily. The volunteers were keen and energetic and many were potential noncommissioned officers in the inevitable expansion of the movement. “There are deadheads and grousers in every district who throw off at the volunteers, and these are no good to me,” he said. Untrained'men were likely to be an embarrassment in the event of invasion,, stated another speaker, who said that the Dominion could not afford to Wait for the time that would be necessary to train the class of individuals who were now standing out. Many Difficulties Flat accusations should not he made against men who had joined up, said

another delegate. Some of these men were 30 miles from a centre, whileothers in isolated districts did not care to leave their wives unprotected. Mr. A. Briscoe-Moore (Whangarei) considered that it was impracticable to make the scheme compulsory for all, but thought that youths from 16 to territorial age should be compelled to join up. He moved this as an amendment. A 1

The amendment was lost, also an amendment that all eligible men should be posted to the Home Guard or E.P.S. organisation, and the motion was carried.

Settled.—The strike at the American Shipbuilding Company’s plant at Lox-ain, Lake Erie, has been settled, enabling the resumption of work on 10,000,000 dollars worth of defence orders.