LOCKED SHELTERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 176, 28 July 1942, Page 4

LOCKED SHELTERS

I T rTr 1 v: St u ke an y.°hserver as odd and disquieting that the city's air J I which may he needed instantly at any time should be kept locked. I eace-time habits of thought die hard. The thought here evidently, is that as a considerable sum of public money has been spent kCen £ th , OSe who contr.,l them have a to j them in good order. If they were not locked, there would be a danger and admittedly the danger is net fanciful—of irresponsible persons misusing them. This line of thought is unquestionably sound ThP rianolro n U^w anCCS '' bu * here the circu mstances are not normal than ?h 1 possibly arising from locking the shelters are much greater Se neonlP u ,ocking . them " If Auckland should be rafded tne people might have no warning, or a few minutes' at the mo<?t it to unlikely that they would have a long "alert" period which fjj preparation could be made.. It is unlikely also that'in a first raid £,d n efenC r e or « anis «V on wou,d with perfect smoothness ■Trnoto I } in e . en defects would be discovered. But people in the •treets would remember the shelters and run to thpm nnri if tho».n de ay in opening (he shelters the resuft migh" eas lyhS wK