EMERGENCY PLANS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24635, 17 June 1941, Page 6

EMERGENCY PLANS

DEPUTATION TO MR NASH BLACK-OUT DISCUSSED J STATUS OF HOME GUARD An account of an interview with the Acting Prime Minister, Mr W. Nash, to discuss , with him emergency, precautions, was given by the Mayor of. Christchurch (Mr E. H. Andrews). The deputation, of which Mr Andrews was i member, sought clarification on such '. points as the black-out. the provision : of transport for emergency work; and the status of the Home! Guard. The . executive of the Municipal Association at . a conference ) in ■ Wellington appointed a deputation to wait on Mr Nash to discuss, '"emergency precautions plans. Mr .■; Andrews was a member of the deputa- . tion. which included the Mayors of other cities and some of the bigger towns. , All were in agreement, said Mr Andrews, that in some aspects the present position was most unsatisfactory, and these they placed before Mr Nash. Transport In Emergency One such question, said Mr Andrews, was transport. What was wanted by civil authorities was the certain knowledge that if they wanted vehicles in an emergency they would have the power to get them, after army needs had been satisfied. The use of one truck he knew of in Christchurch. Mr Andrews said, had been asked Of its owners by three separate organisations, .i each of whom sought to use it for civil work if an emergency arose. What was needed was a .classification of vehicles for the work for which they could be used in a national emergency and an. assurance that they could be made available.

Although it was not thought likely that the evacuation of a city would be necessary, the civic authorities would still need lorries for such things as supplies. “We must know definitely those available and they must,be classified.” said Mr Andrews., At present provision for this did not exist. Mr Nash promised to consider the matter. '. . _ , The Black-out Lighting , restrictions throughout the country were also discussed with Mr Nash. The matter had previously been discussed in the conference, and some speakers had claimed, particular mention coming from Auckland, that while the railways in the goods yards and the wharves were still using powerful light there seemed little point in dimming street lamps, or enforcing such a strict private black-out as Auckland hid. The defence given when complaints were made about these railway and wharf lights was that they could be put out at a moment’s notice, but that also applied 'equally to street and other lights, it was contended. It was mentioned to Mr Nash that In places like Auckland . where the black-out. was so strict, considerable > expense was caused, as well as inconvenience, by, for instance, the need to run the trams more slowly, which required a bigger staff. To representations about the blacks out Mr Nash also promised to give consideration. Petition of Home Guard The position of the Home Guard was also discussed with Mr Nash. Mr Andrews added. Those in the deputation wanted to know the function of the Home Guard in an emergency; ’ whether, for instance, it was to be used as a first line of defence in the event of an invasion? If that was the case, should the Home Guard be under military control? In any case, the deputation sought to know the exact position of the guard. ; > ■ Mr Nash’s reply to that was that Lieutenant-general Sir Guy Williams, now touring the Dominion as military adviser to the,. Government;-had also been asked .to investigatelTthfe position of the Home-Guard. .