THE HOME GUARD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23838, 13 December 1940, Page 10

THE HOME GUARD

FKOGEESS IN COUNTKY MEANING OF A PLEDGE THE DUTIES OF TEACHERS Although the Home Guard movement tor national defence may be ntak- ' ing but slow progress in the city, it j I is advancing remarkably well in eer- j I tain country districts, as recent figures j > show. The original meeting at Awhitu, | ' on the Manukau, for instance, was ] attended by I'iO, of whom 80 joined : j the Home Guard and the remainder , linked up with the Emergency Pre- { cautions Scheme. The Home Guard in f that district now numbers over 100, ' and they hare already held parades, y For the' most part they come into ; Awhitu on Saturday forenoon atter : » milking, and undergo training until 3 p.m.. when they have to return to their t farms. ' In the Franklin sub-area, with head- i quarters at Papakura. there are over J LoOO guardsmen enrolled and in training. The Rodney sub-area now has over t 500 in training. 1 Members' Obligation City officers of the Home Guard j state' that the Emergency Precautions Scheme, which was started long be I ore j the Home Guard, now has all the numbers that it requires in the city and they are concentrating wholly on en- , rolments for the Home Guard. i Asked whether the clause, "I will J place my services unreservedly at. the disposal ol the corps, did not hiudei , nis;u from joining on account ol its sweeping character, an officer (jointed ! out that it was no use a man joining anv organisation unless he was prepared to oiler some such pledge. .Major A. j \Y. Short, commander ol the Auckland area, when asked what the clause implied. said he could say nothing about that, as its meaning was actually under discussion at the time. Position ol Teacher,'; On the question whether teachers joining the Home Guard might tinci their duties as guardsmen conflicting with their duties as teachers, an officer said that the .general rule was that trie training of guardsmen was arranged so as not to conflict with their ordinal,\ avocation. If, however, a real emer-o-encv arose, it was ob\ ions that teachers, like anv other citizens, would have to plaefl 'defence requirements first, although in their case it. might easilv happen that in the care o! children their defence duties and ordinary occupation would coincide. FINE ROTORUA RESPONSE OVER 1600 VOLUNTEERS 1 [by telegraph—own correspondent] j BOTORUA, Thursday { I In marked contrast to the responsej in Auckland. Home Guard enlistments ; in the Rotorua area, which embraces j the whole of the Bay of Plenty Irom Tauranga to Opotiki. as \\ell as the Rotorua and Taupo districts, have been j excellent, following a recruiting cam- j paifii bv the area commandant. Major j .1. H. Herrold. D.S.O. j Enlistments received to date, exclu- . sive of those from Tauranga ' and Taupo. have totalled over IbOO Ol j this total approximately 600 have been I from Rotorua. and Home Guard organ-| i set's here are well pleased with the response. MEETINGS IN SUBURBS ENROLMENT OF MEMBERS A meeting at St. Andrew's Hall. New : Lvnn. last'night, resulted m l. enrol-; I rnetits being received for the. Home. ; Guard. About 100 people attended, and, the deputy-mayor. Mr. J. S. Akohitrst. i i presided. 'The" meeting was addressed j | hy a represoir.ative of the Home Guard | I organisation. . 1 A committee representing the .lowtii 'Board, Returned Soldiers' Association | and other organisations was appointedfor the purpose ol enrolment, ol a unit ol the Home Guard at a meeting m | the lluwick Town Hall last niglit. An address was given by Mr. A. S. Bailey, deputy-chief warden of the metropolitan | area.