HOME DEFENCE SERVICES

Southland Times, Issue 24757, 30 May 1942, Page 4

HOME DEFENCE SERVICES

NEED FOR COMPLETE PREPAREDNESS A warning that all the home defence services, civilian as well as military, should be carefully planned and kept at a high pitch is contained in a letter from the London manager of an Invercargill firm which has been passed on to The Southland Times by Mr H. J. Macalister, Chief Controller of the Invercargill E.P.S. The manager writes: “I would emphasize that you undertake every precaution possible to protect everyone and everything from the physical hardships of bombings or actual fighting; disregard any talk that you have nothing very much to create anxiety; disregard any smug complacency, but rather plan to be in a position of well-preparedness. “I take the liberty of saying to you that because of laxity here and smug self-satisfaction in many quarters, much that should have been done was left undone; probably thoughts arose, but were dismissed and put into a pot for ‘future consideration.’ This was very wrong. Surely it is far better for the whole of New Zealand to plan to cover the worst; if these precautions prove in the light of after events to have been unnecessary, you have at least been wise; if they prove necessary—it is my fervent prayer that it will not be so—you will find yourselves thankful that you have anticipated the worst I strongly counsel you, back all that is done in ambulance services, Air Raid Precautions, Home Guard—in fact, everything that can be done for self and country protection.”