LOCAL DEFENCE

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21183, 5 August 1940, Page 2

LOCAL DEFENCE

AUXILIARY RESERVE UNDER ARMY GUIDANCE HAMILTON AN AREA CENTRE i I MASTERTON, Saturday ' Information has been given to the Wairarapa branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association that the National Service Department has decided on the formation of an auxiliary reserve, comprising men who are not members of the existing forces—the A rm y, Navy, Air Force, Territorials, or National Military Re- . serve, Class 11. A letter from the Dominion headquarters of the R.S.A. i states that the function of the ; organisation would be to defend the i localities in which its members live, j and the contiguous areas. Arms and equipment would be issued later, but at first the men would drill under the guidance of the Army. In the event of trouble in New Zealand the | Army would take control. The positions of district and area leaders were open for nominations, the district leaders being situated in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and the area leaders in Auckland, Paeroa, Whangarei, Ham- ' ilton, Wellington, Wanganui, Gisborne, Napier, Masterton, New Plymouth, Nelson, Greymouth, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill. The positions would be honorary, but the Government would reimburse travelling expenses. The Wairarapa branch has nominated as area leader Colonel A. H. Herbert, Eketahuna, and has decided to support whatever nomination is put forward by the Wellington R.S.A. for the position of district leader in Wellington.