AIR RAID SHELTERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24416, 30 September 1940, Page 6

AIR RAID SHELTERS

PROVISION IN LONDON THE HEALTH PROBLEM LONDON, Sept. 28. (Received Sept. 29, at 7.30 p.mj The Home Secretary (Sir John Anderson) has announced a regulation empowering local authorities to order the opening of any premises day or night for public use as shelter. Several London authorities had signed the regulation in advance for the purpose of implementing it without delay. The London boroughs, similarly expeditiously, are installing shelters, and the bunks of some shelters are being divided into compartments providing family underground homes with double-decker bunks. Sir John Anderson announced that he is retaining Lord Horder's committee for advice regarding shelter and health problems. A member of the committee, Mrs Creswick Atkinson, said the division of shelters into compartments was most important, particularly for children. It prevented the risk of infection, which was bound to be prevalent in the larger shelters. The heating of shelters is being carefully considered; but in this regard the fact that there is already inadequate ventilation is a serious difficulty. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Food (Mr R. J. Boothby) made a two-hours dawn pilgrimage to shelters to investigate the need for emergency feeding, and to-night the Minister (Lord Woolton) told local authorities that they should arrange for adequate feeding "in the event of disasters such as are being inflicted upon London."'