HOME GUARD

Patea Mail, 9 July 1941, Page 2

HOME GUARD

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT AMMUNITION TO .BE ISSUED ‘‘While the .Government is not yet in a position to make a comprehensive -statement covering the control and training of the Homo Guard,” said the a.eting-Hrimc Minister, Hon. W. Nash, in a statement recently, ‘‘it is possible to give further particulars of the very important steps that are being taken to enable tire training to* proceed in keeping with the proposals pi acted before the War Cabinet by Lieut.-Gen-eral Sir Guy Williams, military adviser to the Government.” Mr. Nash said the impressment of privately-owned rifles had been exceptionally A'aluable to the Home Guard movement, and, in order to enable full use of the weapons to be secured at the earliest possible moment, arrangements had been made for the inspection and repair of {lie impressed rifles to be Carried out by private gunsmith Arms throughout the Dominion. Simultaneously, the War Cabinet had directed that adequate supplies of .303 and .22 ammunition is to bo issued for Home Guard training, and immediate arrangements were being made for the necessary quotas to be released. With rides already issued, pins impressed weapons and supplies of ammunition, very material progress should be possible in training activities. Tn addition to those measures, it was expected that :the use of army rifles might be obtained to assist in training. This would apply also to the use of machine-guns and automatic weapons. It had also been found possible to secure supplies of hand grenades, Avhich are being distributed as quickly as they become available.

From discussions with the Home Guard authorities, the War Cabinet was convinced that supplies of boots, rifles ami ammunition would give the greatest measure of satisfaction to members of the Home GuaAl, as well as constituting very valuable assistance in training. Mr, Nash added that he regretted that unforeseen. demands on stocks of material were- continually 'rising, and it was utterly impossible at present to make any definite promise as to when any material issue could be looked for, but no stone was being loft unturned to enable the promise of uniforms for the Home Guard to be kept when i{ was humanly possible to do so.