INJURY TO HOME GUARDSMAN

Southland Times, Issue 24499, 29 July 1941, Page 6

INJURY TO HOME GUARDSMAN

Commander Replies To Registrar "In view of the difficulty experienced in having this case attended to, it is not surprising that Mr Fernandez should endeavour to draw a smokescreen over his handling of the matter by making an unintelligible statement, which appears to contradict his previous one.” These remarks were made by Lieutenant-Colonel E. F. Selby, commander of Area 12a of the Home Guard, yesterday when commenting on the statement made by Mr R. A. Fernandez, registrar of Social Security at Invercargill, about the war pension being granted the Titiroa farmer, who suffered an injury when on parade with the Home Guard at Pine Bush.

Lieutenant-Colonel Selby said that Mr Fernandez omitted to mention that before the announcement of the threat to cease parades at Pine Bush Mr Fernandez had notified the farmer that he was not entitled to any benefit as a Homg Guardsman. “It was only when the announcement appeared that any steps were taken to deal with the matter properly,” Lieutenant-Colonel Selby stated. “Moreover, when Wellington communicated with him after I had spoken to Wellington about his refusal to pay the claim I was informed by the National Service Department that he stated that Pine Bush was not in his district.

“However. I do not intend to spend time over a controversy with him, and I am sending copies of all statements to Wellington,” continued LieutenantColonel Selby. “Two further claims have been notified to me during the last few days, and the Home Guardsmen concerned and their unit commanders have stated that on account of the statements made by Mr Fernandez they are uncertain what procedure to adopt. Mr Fernandez is the paid specialist in these matters, and one would have expected that he would have endeavoured to make the position clear, instead of confusing it.”