THE EVACUEES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 64, Issue 4535, 11 February 1942, Page 4

THE EVACUEES

MEETING THE COST QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY The question of responsibility of meeting the expenses of persons evacuated from Auckland to the Waikato district was discussed at a meeting of the Waikato County Council .at Hamilton yesterday, when a letter from the Associate Minister of National Service, the Hon. D. Wilson, was received. “The question of reimbursing country residents who receive evacuees cannot be stated in terms of a general policy,” wrote the Minister. “In many cases the evacuees will be in a position to pay for their own maintenance, while in some other cases the persons providing the accommodation will desire to meet the cost as a contribution to the war effort. For the balance, it will be competent for those accepting the evacuees to lodge claims for reimbursement of expense from the local authority controlling the Emergency Precautions Service, which .arranges for the reception of the evacuees.

“In the matter of essential equipment, such as blankets and bedding, it may be anticipated that the conditions may permit of the forwarding E.P.S. sending supplies with the evacuees or for the evacuees themselves providing the equipment. The forwarding E.P.S. may also send supplies of food, but where this is not possible it will be competent for the receiving E.P.S. to requisition supplies, the payment of which can be a matter of adjustment later.”

Mr R. G. Young said the Government was not shouldering its fair share of the responsibility.

Mr G. Smith said the majority of the evacuees would be women and children, and he was sure everybody would be prepared to “share the last crust” if the need arose.

The Council decided to inform the Minister that his last letter was most unsatisfactory, in that it failed to set out the Government’s responsibility.