EVACUATION PLANS 'QUASHED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 161, 29 September 1941, Page 4

EVACUATION PLANS 'QUASHED

IT must come as something more than a gentle shock to those good folk who have been following the County E.P.S. Scheme closely, to learn that the official attitude withregard to evacuation in the event of emergency has undergone a reversal For long enough those in the more exposed areas have been told of the methods to be employed for quick and efficient removal to safer surroundings. Details of store's, accommodation, clothing and petrol have been circularised and in every way the work of the committee in this direction has been thorough and systematic. It is therefore something of a blow to hear from' the consulting engineer and laiscn officer to the Local Authorities that in spite of any emergency arising the population is to stay put. The reasons given are that congestion of the; roads by civilian traffic, at such times was likely to produce congestion and confusion/ The sorry lessons of the German invasion of France,, shall not —say the authorities —be repeated here. From a,ll sides we feel sure there will echo a spontaneous 'hear, hear, but what we can't understand is the length of time it takes to make up the official mind on these matters. With the war two years old, a,nd the French prostration fifteen months, cur Dominion authorities, after allowing the E.P.S. comtees throughout the country to harden up on a set course of action regarding the evacuation of people living m the coastal areas, suddenly decide that such a course would be unwise. There must be no evacuation of the civil population they say in view of the possible hampering of military movements.. We sincerely trust that the new decision will be a permanent one for the perpetuation of such a policy of instability will lead to the public ignoring the whole E.P-S. scheme. Everybody desires to co-operate towards the successful end of any precaution which makes for genuine safety, but to suddenly reverse the policy on such an important subject as evacuation is not likely to make for confidence. This decision should have been made public many months ago, and should the locial committee feel resentment at the cancellation of their work of many months they have a very real reason for doing so.