AIRRAID SHELTERS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 248, 1 August 1941, Page 5

AIRRAID SHELTERS.

IMPROVEMENTS IN LONDON. LONDON, July 30. A census taken this month shows that 104,990 people are using public air raid shelters in London and 556,000 are using domestic shelters -compared with 470,200 using public shelters and 214,000 using domestic shelters in November last, while approximately 12 per cent, of the users of public shelters are children, stated Alderman Charles Key, P.M., special London Regional Commissioner. The condition of shelters in London is now incomparably better than at the beginning of this year. There is now sleeping accommodation in shelters in the London region for 1,277,000 and for 3,495,000 in domestic shelters. In tubes, where there are 23,000 bunks, a gradual decline in the number of persons using them as shelters has been noticed and the last census showed that there, were 26,000 people using them, the lowest since heavy raiding began. Alderman Key added that with few exceptions local authorities had now completed plans for providing canteens in shelters holding 200 persons or more, and for the installation of power points in shelters regularly used by 50 or more persons. There were. 188 medical aid posts in large shelters and 69 serving groups of smaller shelters. Twenty-four welfare councils or committees had been set up .and more were being formed. Sanction had been given for the appointment of a number of shelter welfare officers. —British Official Wireelss.