A MILE OF TRENCHES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20659, 9 January 1942, Page 2

A MILE OF TRENCHES

GISBORNE BUSINESS AREA ALL VACANT PLOTS USED SCHEME OF EVACUATION More than a mile of slit trenches have been dug close to the business area in Gisborne as protection against air raids, and ail of the. available areas have been used up in the. work, yvhich has been designed to accommodate 1800 people. In making this statement to-day, the Mayor, Mr. N. H. Bull, stated that the council had undertaken to build trenches to serve only the business area, bounded in the west by Derby street and iq the north and east by the river. Trenches for the residen* tial areas must be dug by the residents themselves. Trenches dug to date had a total length of 5400 lineal feet. The council would have liked to construct a greater length of trenches, Mr. Bull said, but there were no further areas available north of Childers road, and as the south side. of the road may be required for control by trie.military authorities, in the event of an emergency, the council agreed not to extend the trench construction beyond Childers road. Avoiding Congestion

The 1800 people the trenches were calculated to accommodate did not include the total number of people who were normally in the business area during, working riours. A careful calculation was; made of. these numbers, . which . reachfed a total of 2600, but it was estimated that, in the event of an alarm, about 800 people, at least, would be cglled for duty With the E.P.S. and Home Guard, leaving sufficient room for the people remaining.

A scheme for the evacuation of the various . blocks was in preparation, whereby people in certain blocks would be evacuated to trenches at specified poirits. . People would be told clearly where they were tri gri, arid they would ,b,e required to .use those points in order to avoid overcrowding and confusion in some areas. . The people also would be given trie shortest possible routes to trie trenches they were to occupy, and it wjw necessary that they should make themselves conversant with their, points of assembly arid of the routes .they were to take. . This aspect of the. scheme had not been completed yet, but when it was done the public would be advised. Edward Murphy Appeal ,'tytiiie .the .freripH coqsTfucfiQh jr w'.ojk undertaken ..by the .Gis.borne Borough Council was confined to ,the .business area .as .far, as Derby stxeeL .assistance ygas. required. for : .the, Ejlward .Murphy Home, and the, Mayor .made pit appeal for. volunteer labour; Jo attend .to } this yvoqk. from 1,30...ip.r0. .to-morrow. . Those with shovels _ were , asked .to .bring (hero,, but ascertain rii.iriji.ber bfi rihovqls would.be available for men who were unable to take their own. . Mr, Bull hoped, there, would be a good muster on that work.