THE “NEW GUARD”

Taranaki Daily News, 27 July 1931, Page 7

THE “NEW GUARD”

SYDNEY VOLUNTEERS. PROTECTION OF PROPERTY. Although little has been heard of Australia’s “New Guard” isince its establishment more than three months ago, the meeting held in Sydney last week showed that it has become efficient and powerful. The “New Guard” is the name of a protective volunteer organisation with a membership of several thousands, that was officially launched in New South Wales last April. Its chief objects are the maintenance of law rind order, the protection of property rind lives, saiie and honourable government, social services and tho suppression of disloyalty. In a statement its officers declared that the New Guard was in no sense a secret society. It would not tolerate interference with the liberty of the subject, and would become operative only When the existing forces of Jaw and order failed to cope With the crisis. When the question of this army was raised in tlie Australian House of Representatives some months ago, Mr. J. Tj.Lang, Premier of New South Wales, said he was quite prepared to deal with any such organisation should the necessity arise. This is only one of the armies recently formed by the Warring factions in New South Wales. A NeW Zealander, who is resident in Sydney, stated, in a letter to a brother in Christchurch, that there were three emergency armies. "Revolution is aS hear as it could be,” he declared. “There are the White Guard, organised by the capitalists, the Communists’ ‘Red Star of Russia’ Army, and the ‘All for Australia’ organisatiqn, drawn from a membership of 200,000. With the exception of the Red Star, the armies are defensive.”

Messages from Sydney, indicative of the seriousness of the situation, have stated that a number of machine-guns were stolen from a drill hall, and that bolts had been removed from rifles in case of further raids on the armoury. A Christchurch man, who has just returned from Sydney, said that, to the casual visitor, there. was little sign of revolt, but it was undoubtedly true that the position was perilous. While he was there, reputable men were being interviewed, and asked to promise that they would act as special constables should the necessity arise.

It was likely that the “Now Guard” would be strongly supported, as the law-abiding citizens of Sydney were strongly in favour of any move that would give them some measure of security.