Co-operation Between E.P.S. And Home Guard

Northern Advocate, 28 May 1941, Page 9

Co-operation Between E.P.S. And Home Guard

Realising the need for greater cooperation between the Home Guarct organisation and the Emergency Precautions Scheme control, the executive of the Whangarei E.P.S., at its meeting last night, set up a sub-com-mittee compi-ising the Mayor (Mr. Jones), Inspector Fox and Mr. T. Mitchell to confer with the Home Guard command with the view of securing this co-operation. Train With Home Guard The Credit Controller (Mr. -D. G’Donoghue) said that his section of the E.P.S. was completely organised and ready to function in the case of an emergency. The men desired to keep together and to participate in the training of the Home Guard. "Would it be possible for these men to train with the Home Guard as a separate unit?” asked Mr. O’Donoghue. That provision had been made in previous regulations for such an action to be carried out, was the opinion expressed by the Mayor (Mr. Jones). The instructions were rather contradictory, now, said Inspector Fox. It appeared that once a man was in the Home Guard he could not go back to the E.P.S., but the E.P.S. have power to call on the Home Guard for men.

Position Net Easy

“The position is not so easy as it may appear,” said Mr. S. Oldcorn. He said that many of the Home Guardsmen were also members of the E.P.S., and stated that if the Heme Guard were called up it would be found that at least 25 per cent, were missing, having taken their part in the E.P.S. He suggested that a separate unit of the Home Guard be formed by the E.P.S. men, so that training could be given. At a previous conference between the two organisations the Home Guard committee had promised to supply the E.P.S. organisation with a list of men not fitted for the arduous work that the Guard might be called upon to perform, but suitable for E.P.S. duties, said Mr. T. Mitchell. This list had never been given. Must Parade With H.G.

“If the Home Guard is called up in the event of an emergency, then all tlie Guardsmen who have signed the oath of allegiance will have to parade, even though they may also be E.P.S. men,” said the Home Guard committee secretary (Mr. W. H. Robinson).

That it was possible that shortly men would be available from the Home Guard for the E.P.S. was the opinion expressed by Mr. J. G. Draper, who said that he understood that the men not physically fit were to be taken from the Guard. Two Organisations to Confer In moving that a sub-committee from the E.P.S. meet the Guard commanders in relation to the co-operation sought, Mr. R. J. Crosby said that by such a conference it was possible that arrangements could be made for the release of physically unfit Guardsmen to the E.P.S. organisation, by this means building up the E.P.S. sections to the required strength. This suggestion was adopted by the meeting.