H.—lla

Emergency Regulations and by the issue of the Home Guard Enrolment Order No. 1 on 30th April, 1942. Men aged thirty-five to fifty inclusive had now to re-enrol, the forms in this case going to Selection Committees, comprising representatives of the Home Guard, the Civil Defence organization, and, usually, the secretary of the local Armed Forces Appeal Board (or other representative nominated by the Board). This measure resulted in rather more than 70,000 men enrolling for Home Guard service, of whom some 31,000 were actually called up for service with the Guard after consideration had been given to the factors of health, availability for training, availability for service in emergency, and the effects of the transfer on the losing E.P.S. unit. With this increase in numbers the Home Guard was again restored to a satisfactory state of strength. 16. THE INTRODUCTION OP GENERAL MILITARY SERVICE With the changed war situation the whole nature of Territorial service changed. Men who had been training for overseas service found themselves suddenly switched into home defence units, and, on the other hand, men who had anticipated that their Territorial training would involve only two weeks' (or later two months') absence from their homes a year were now held in camp on indefinite mobilization, and even faced the chance of active service against the invader. The conditions of Territorial service thus became more akin to those of overseas service than had hitherto been the case. At the same time developments in the war situation itself indicated the prudence of making provision for rapid transfers of personnel to any point in the Pacific or elsewhere as might be found necessary to secure the Dominion against the risk of invasion or otherwise. War Cabinet therefore decided in February, 1942, that, in future Gazettes calling men up for military service, such service was to be " general " -i.e., in New Zealand or overseas as required. The existing practice of restricting embarkations to men aged twenty-one to forty was, however, to be adhered to as a matter of policy. This alteration in the basis of service raised two problems— (a) How those already called for Territorial service (but n.ot overseas service) should be dealt with : (b) How the appeal machinery should be re-adjusted to meet the new situation. These problems were met as follows— (а) Men already called for Territorial service were " deemed " to have been called for general service, but were provided with a fresh right of appeal against such service : (б) In the past, two sets of Appeal tribunals had been maintained, one dealing with home service and voluntary (overseas) service, and the other with compulsory overseas service. There was no longer any justification for maintaining these two separate sets of tribunals, and, in fact, this course would have led to endless duplication and confusion. All Appeal tribunals were therefore merged and reorganized as Armed Forces Appeal Boards, each Board dealing henceforth with all types of " general " service. As regards the determination of appeals, provision was made for these to be dismissed in appropriate cases subject to the performance of service in New Zealand only, and, in other cases, subject to the further restriction that performance of service in New Zealand should be limited to certain stated seasons only. The amendment to the regulations which gave effect to these changes was signed on 22nd June, 1942, immediately before the gazetting of the sixteenth ballot, and in all ballots gazetted subsequently to that date men have been called for general service. 17. THE INTRODUCTION OF WOMEN INTO THE ARMED FORCES The mobilization of woman-power to assist the war effort had been proceeding in the industrial field right from the outbreak of war. As men were called into camp from factories, offices, shops, and even farms, their jobs were being taken over to an ever-increasing extent by women. Many thousands of married women who in peacetime would have simply stayed at home, now entered or re-entered employment, and the majority of those already employed who married stayed on in their jobs after marriage. Of those who could not give full time to paid positions, many became employed on a part-time basis, and thousands of others did voluntary work for one or other of the women's organizations. A. great part of the civilian office staffs employed by the various Service Departments were composed of women, and as the war effort developed it became apparent that they could also be used to good advantage in camps and stations within the forces themselves. Before this could be done, however, much prejudice had to be broken down, and special provision had also to be made in the way of separate accommodation, conditions of service, administrative arrangements, and so on. Though an early and successful start had been made by the Air Force in the utilization of women as a part of the uniformed service, it was not until the real pressure for man-power came on during 1942 that a similar course was adopted by the other two services. The Women's Auxiliary Air Force. —As early as January, 1941, the Air Force had set about the recruitment of women through the W.W.S.A. for employment at stations in the following types of occupation:—-Shorthand-typists Telephone-operators • Clerical assistants Dental and medical assistants Cooking, kitchen hands, waitresses Equipment assistants (stores and technical Aircraft hands training) Drivers General duties (cleaners, runners, &c.). An immediate response was secured, and the personnel engaged in this work has since grown steadily until at the present time there are over three thousand members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. As with other types of Air Force service, this recruitment has been maintained on a voluntary basis.

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