HOME GUARD FUNDS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 20 May 1941, Page 4

HOME GUARD FUNDS

CAPITATION GRANT NOT SUFFICIENT j NELSON AREA COMMANDER’S VIEWS NECESSITY FOR ADVANCED TRAINING Local bodies will still have to find ' a considerable sum to augment the Government’s capitation grant to Home Guard units if training is to be carried out efficiently. This is the view of the Nelson Home Guard Area Commander, Capt. E. LucieSmith. In an interview this morning Capt. Lucie-Smith said that the Government’s plan was to pay a capitation grant based on the number of men in each area who attended 75 per cent, of scheduled parades each quarter. This would be at the rate of 2s pei man for the period ended 31st December, 1940, and after that at the rate of Is per man per quarter. The funds being made available were I intended to help units meet such ex- | penses as cost of transport, rental of halls, lighting of parade grounds, stationery and other incidental expenses, according to the Minister, but the grant would fall short of doing that, he sa ; d. The grant of Is per man per quarter was little enough, but even this amount would not be available as a great many guardsmen had failed to attend 75 per cent, of the parades of their units, and therefore no grant was available for them. Indeed, in exceptional cases, 1 grants could be claimed for only 50 per cent, of the members. This meant that the amount that could be expected to be available in the 1 Nelson area for a year from the Gov- | eminent would be about £3OO. This would hardly supply the necessary petrol for training and inspection. In addition, funds for the lighting of halls and postage and stationery would have ’ to be found, as well as explosives for j experimental and demonstration pur- ] poses, literature, and such essential equipment as aiming discs, sand-tables, .22 ammunition for miniature ranges, and the necessary targets. t There were 2300 men in the Nelson , area, divided into 68 platoons, contin--1 ued Capt. Lucie-Smith, and some of 1 them were working independently up tr 30 miles from their company headquarters. If these units were to be- , come efficient they would have to parade with their company at least once a . month, and this would soon absorb all ; a platoon’s funds without spending any- , thing on training equipment. 1 When a defence scheme for the dis- » trict was prepared further petrol would t have to be found to allow the men to t visit the locality in which they would ■ be stationed so that they could study ! the lay of the land and do any necesI sary digging. “If the Government is merely looking for eyewash and something to keep the men busy and keep them quiet, then the grant will be , enough.” added Cap* Lucie-Smith, ! “but if it wants an efficient body of ! men then it will have tc give fur- \ ther financial assistance to the Home Guard.”