Home Guard and Emergency Precautions

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 217, 13 September 1940, Page 2

Home Guard and Emergency Precautions

POSITION IN FEILDING Some information respecting the formation of tho Horae Guard and the' operation of tho Emergency Precautions Scherao was given by the Mayor (Mr. 1 T. L. Seddon) to last evening’s meeting of the Feilding Borough Council. He said that in consequence of instructions received from the Government in June, 1939, steps wdre taken to set up an emergency committee to take charge. of various essential activities in the event of any untoward loeal or national emergency and this was approvad by ; the Government which had congratu-. lated Feilding on the forward step taken. In October last tho Mayor had submitted a progress report on the emergency precautions organisation, dealing with the several controllers aud the incorporation of borough councillors on the central committee. With detailed reports from the controllers in hand the completed scheme had been collated and approved. Wince this had been com*, pletcd the war situation had developed and a Home Guard organisation set up and this would bo dovetailed in with tho Emergency Precautions Scheme. It was now necessary to acquaint householders of the existence of the Emergency Precautions Scheme, and ho was preparing a questionnaire for submission to householders whose -omplete co-operation in the event of any crisis was essential.

The Mayor went on to refer to the Emergency Precautions Regulations, 1940, which contemplated the schemes already in existence. Provision was made for loeal bodies combining for the the purpose of the scheme and Mr. Seddon had consulted neighbouring counties who were quite sympathetic with the idea of joining up with Feilding. The regulations anticipated the Emergency Reserve Corps and co-ordination of activities. Beforo tho regulations came out Feilding had completed its scheme in compliance with original instructions and the regulations validated that organisation.

Dealing with th© Emergency Reserve Corps, the Mayor said that this comprised the Home Guard, the Emergency Precautions Scheme personnel and the

Women’s Auxiliary. A branch of the Home Guard could be formed and trained and used to assist tie Emergency Precaution Organisation. Mr. Seddon went on to report on the meeting in Palmerston North yesterday when the Minister of Man Power had dealt with tho Emergency Reserve Corps. The local authority would bo the controlling authority over both the Home Guard and the Emergency Precautions Organisation and would maintain control until such circumstances arose requiring the military to take over. The Emergency Precautions Organisation was not absorbed in the Home Guard scheme, nor was the Home

Guard absorbed in the Emergency Precautions Scheme, but both were expected to co-ordinate in their activities. All local bodies had pledged themselves to support tho scheme. The central committee, which w r ould bp the responsible local body, would decide tho personnel for either organisation. In accepting enrolments for the Horae Guard the central committee would require - to exercise care that no members of the Emergency Precautions Organisation was included. This was necessary to prevent;.ovef-lappibg;. The M_aycrr in. a subsequent discussion answered a number of questions.