2500 EVACUEES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4523, 14 January 1942, Page 5

2500 EVACUEES

FROM THE CITY OF AUCKLAND IF AN EMERGENCY ARISES TE AWAMUTU OFFER ACCEPTED A special meeting of the committee of the Te Awamutu Emergency Precautions Service Organisation was held yesterday morning, when Mr C. J. .Lovegrove, officer in charge of Evacuation in the City of Auckland, addressed the gathering. The Mayor (Mr L. G. Armstrong), as chairman of the Organisation, presided and briefly introduced the speaker. NEED TO BE PREPARED Mr Lovegrove said that aa Controller of Evacuation for the City of Auckland he was making a tour of the towns of the province to ascertain the number of evacuees each was prepared to take in the event of an emergency arising. The citizens there were not panicky, but realised that the history of the democracy as far as the war was concerned was the revelation of a state of unpreparedness. Skeletons of regret were being pulled out of the cupboard all the time; and, so far as Auckland was concerned, it had been determined by the local authorities there that they would do everything possible so that they would not have to pull out skeletons of regret in their cupboards. So it had been determined to make preparations to evacuate 50,000 women and children in the event of an emergency occurring. That would be carried out under the military authorities. They did not know where or when the enemy would strike, but they must prepare for an orderly evacuation after the crisis arose. People, for instance, would have to be kept off the main roads and railways, except in special circumstances arranged for their evacuation. Mr Lovegrove then announced that as a result of his visit to other centres in the province he already had assurances of accommodation for 36,000 evacuees, and he sought the co-opera-tion of the Te Awamutu Committee in the matter. Arrangements would probably have to be made to give these people a “shakedown,” or at least a meal till they were billeted. Evacuees would be expected to assist in the domestic duties at places where they were lodged. LOCAL PREPARATIONS The local Controller of Evacuation (Mr W. Tootill) reported that members of the Women’s Institute and Mr H. C. Rainey had canvassed the district, with the result that Mrs Angus had 654 vacancies in the country “all set.” In addition, there would probably be 1000 beds in Te Awamutu itself. His idea was that the train bringing the evacuees could be shunted into the racecourse siding and the people taken to the course till they were ready to be sent into the country. The course was a big open space with requisite buildings and cooking appliances. The ladies of the Women’s Institute and Women’s Auxiliary would provide a “scratch” meal. There had been a splendid response to the appeal for cars and trucks (if petrol were available) with which to convey the evacuees into the country.

Mr Lovegrove, in response to an inquiry, said that it would be absolutely impossible in a mass evacuation to discriminate as to where people would go. If evacuees had relatives in a town and these were billeted with other people, the local Committee could arrange their transfer. The chairman had, under the regulations, power to impress any house or room for the accommodation of evacuees, but he was not suggesting that this be done as it would be undesirable except in a grave emergency. Voluntary offers would be better. Mr H. C. Rainey bore testimony to the whole-hearted support offered the canvassers, stating that the response had been wonderful. In the event of evacuees coming to Te Awamutu, everything possible would be done for them. Mr George Spinley thought that the district, properly organised, could take 2500 evacuees. It seemed to him that not more than 800 would arrive by any one train. Mr Lovegrove, in announcing that evacuees would be urged to bring their own blankets, said an evacuation from Auckland would necessarily have to be a progressive one lasting over several days. There would be no chance of 2000 evacuees arriving in Te Awamutu at one time. The objective would be to send them as far'inland as possible, but everything depended on the circumstances arising at the time. The Mayor thought that there were big reserves of blankets at some of the military camps and these might be made available to evacuees in an emergency. FLOUR AND BAKING Mr S. C, B. Macky (chairman of the Waipa County Council) asked Mr Lovegrove if any provision were being made for reserve stocks of flour to be stored in country towns,, so as to enable the influx of evacuees to be provided for. Mr Lovegrove replied that he understood the Government was creating, reserves in country towns; certainly that provision had been made at Rotorua. In other towns, he thought the bakers were holding additional stocks. Mr Macky said, in regard to the bakery business, there was an acute shortage of labour locally. Could Mr Lovegrove arrange to send out bakers with the evacuees? Mr Lovegrove said that, in regard to labour, the Auckland bakers were in just as serious a plight as obtained in Te Awamutu, as the military had called all the young bakers up. The Mayor suggested that the Auckland E.P.S. should bring pressure to bear on the Government to relax regulations and awards to enable women to bake; to bring about the suspension of awards. Mr Lovegrove: A very excellent idea. The Mayor added that he meant not only baking but other trades as well. Men were being withdrawn by the military and they were being urged to keep business going so that the jobs would be open for the men

coming back. That was only commonsense. Mr Lovegrove said that that seemed to be the general opinion throughout the country. Was, he asked, Te Awamutu prepared to organise to receive 2500 evacuees? • ■ The Mayor thought that quite within the scope of the district. Eventually it was agreed, on the motion of Mr F. Parsons, seconded by Mr W. Tootill, to organise for the reception of 2500 evacuees in Te Awamutu and district should an emergency occur. On the motion of the Mayor, Mr Lovegrove was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, the motion being carried by acclamation.