FEW MEN JOIN HOME GUARD

Southland Times, Issue 24662, 6 February 1942, Page 4

FEW MEN JOIN HOME GUARD

More Enrolments In

E.P.S.

In spite of the new regulations, which make it compulsory for all fit men between the ages of 18 and 45 to enrol in the Emergency Reserve Corps, few men have made application for enrolment in the Invercargill Home Guard since the regulations came into force. A statement to this effect was made yesterday by the Group Director of the Home Guard (Lieutenant Colonel W. Bell). It was stated, however, that there has been a fairly large number of men in country districts, who had enrolled in the Home Guard.

The Chief Controller of the Invercargill E.P.S. (Mr H. J. Macalister) has recommended that fit men between the ages of 18 and 45 should join the Home Guard rather than the E.P.S. Enrolments fox - the Home Guard can be made at the Drill Hall every Wednesday at 7 p.m. In comparison with the few enrolments in Invercargill in the Home Guard, there has been a large number of applications for enrolment in the E.P.S. About 180 enrolment forms were completed and handed in at the Town Hall yesterday and there were more than 200 the previous day. The completed forms will be handled by the controller of personnel (Mr R. D. Newth), who will acknowledge the applications in due course. TRANSFER TO HOME GUARD (Special) WELLINGTON, February 5. Members of the National Reserve transferred to the Home Guard will be able to resume their civilian occupations. This reply was given by the Minister of Defence (the Hon. F. Jones) today. He said that members of the National Military Reserve in the category to be transferred would be transferred to Home Guard units in their own districts. They would be subject to the usual conditions of the Home Guard and would be able to return to their normal civilian work.