DEFENCE AGAINST AIR RAIDS

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22252, 17 November 1937, Page 9

DEFENCE AGAINST AIR RAIDS

Protective Measures

In Britain

BILL DEBATED

IN COMMONS

Dangers to Civilians

Discussed

(UNITED rilESb ASSOCIATION—COrYKIGHT.)

(Received November 16, 7.30 p.m.)

LONDON, November 15

Moving the second reading -in the House of Commons of the Air Raid Precautions Bill, the Home Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, said he did not take the view that there was no defence against an air attack. A beginning had already been made and he ridiculed the idea that there had been nothing in the last two years but wrangles between the local authorities and the Exchequer as to the apportionment of costs. Already the Government had provided for a supply of gas masks to the civil population of Britain on a scale which was, he believed, greater than in any other country in Euorpe. The Government had evolved lire emergency measures on a considerable scale. It was significant that 200,000 men and women had volunteered for air raid precaution work. Sir Samuel Hoare said that in the four years of the Great War 300 tons of bombs were dropped in Britain; to-day as many could be dropped in a day, and that scale of attack maintained for many days. The position to-day was so formidable that there were some people who said: "It was no use attempting defensive measures. Air attacks will always break through. There is nothing we can do of any cfTect." He did not take that view.

Similar Dangers In Past

Time after time the British Empire had been faced witli great dangers, but she never sat still, despondent and despairing, he continued. She had always attempted to meet dangers and had always, up to the present, overcome them. There were people in 1917, who believed that the submarine campaign would bring the British Empire to an end, but British courage and common sense had faced the problem. The submarine was no longer a danger to the security of the Empire. "Now we must make aeroplanes as harrnless to the Empire as submarines," lie added.

Speaking on high explosive air bombs, Sir Samuel Hoare said that no Government was able to protect buildings from direct hits, save at an overwhelming expense. It had been calculated that if the Government attempted such protection a low estimate of the cost would be £1,500,000,000. Even then the protection might be ineffective. The authorities must attempt protection against blast and splinters. Accordingly local authorities would provide public shelters for those caught in the streets, and for those unable to provide make-shift shelters under their own rooms. It was proposed to give individual householders detailed advice on how to improvise a refuge room against blast and splinters from bombs. This could be done much more inexpensively than was supposed. He said enough attention had not been given to the danger of incendiary bombs. A medium-sized bomb-, ing aeroplane could start 150 separate fires from small incendiary bombs. It was essential that some means be evolved of extinguishing them as soon.as they started. He intended to provide householders with advice "on how to deal with one of these bombs.

Equipment for Homes

"We will be making a series of very interesting experiments with a view to providing householders, at very small expense, with a cheap handpump, a shovel, and a box of sand," he said. * There was some laughter from the Opposition at this, but Sir Samuel Hoare continued: "Members may laugh; but experts believe that even a simple apparatus of this kind, if used quickly, will be efficacious in preventing fires from spreading and conflagration arising in great centres of population like the county of London." . The Air Raids Precautions Department had been experimenting with new types of fire engines to obtain greater mobility than had been possible in the past. The only way to deal with a large number of fires would be to have such machines constantly patrolling the streets. Three types had been considered, including a small but very mobile machine rather like a trailer for a car, carrying not only means for extinguishing a fire, but also an emergency supply of water. The Government proposed to supply these to local authorities. Dr. Haden Guest (Conservative, Plymouth) said that in congested areas thousands of people would pour into the streets seeking shelter and exposing themselves to slaughter before reaching shelter. People in the dock areas would be exposed to bombing on a wholesale scale. They should be evacuated. Mr C. Stephen (Labour, Glasgow) said that evacuation was largely impossible. Millions of people in the East End could not take buses to South Wales. Mr P. Noel Baker (Labour, Derby) described the Government's proposal to spend £32,000,000 over four years as fantastic compared with Germany's reported expenditure of £400,000,000. "We are going to lay ourselves open to a grave danger of attack by an enemy who will be able to strike us a mortal blow while he will have a much better chance of remaining immune," Mr Baker added. Mr A. J.. S. Wedderburn (Conservative, Renfrew) said that

20,000,000 gas masks were ready for distribution. The Government already possessed 650 new lire appliances, a number which would be enormously increased when the local authorities sent in their schemes. Handbooks for householders would soon be ready for distribution. The debate was adjourned until to-morrow.