CIVIL DEFENCE IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22551, 5 November 1938, Page 17

CIVIL DEFENCE IN BRITAIN

DOUBTS EXPRESSED BY OPPOSITION WIDER POWERS DESIRED FOR MINISTER DEVELOPMENT OF AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS (BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) (Received November 4, 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, November 3.

Opening the debate on defence in the House of Commons, Mr Herbert Morrison (Labour), disclaimed any intention to make party capital out of the position, but said that as good citizens concerned for the safety and security of the people, the Labour Party was genuinely and seriously worried about the state of air raid precautions. Mr Morrison congratulated Sir John Anderson on his appointment as Minister for Civil Defence, and assured him of the support of all parties and local authorities in the execution of his task in managing the air raid precautions, but he expressed doubts about whether Sir John Anderson would have the necessary authority and executive powers. Would Sir John Anderson be able to go to the various Ministries which Mr Chamberlain had listed as being concerned with air raid precautions and give orders and instructions? Mr Morrison said he was not convinced that the new piece of machinery would prove effective unless Sir John Anderson had those executive powers, and was not merely to preside over the co-ordination committees of Ministers and civil servants. He admitted that since Sir Samuel Hoare had been at the Home Office considerable progress had been made, but the general burden of his criticism was that there had been serious and avoidable delays which had discouraged both local authorities and individual volunteers.

In these circumstances, said Mr Morrison, it was a very big thing to have obtained already 1,000,000 air raid precaution volunteers. Compulsory Service Referring to deficiencies in the supply of air raid precautions equipment, including fire-fighting appliances and medical supplies, Mr Morrison mentioned the agitation in some quarters for compulsory service, and said he could not understand the purpose of advocating compulsory service when they had been shown to have not nearly enough material for the available volunteers. He also criticised the inadequacy of Government action in the matter of ' the evacuation of parts of the civil population. He urged the provision of adequate shelter for everyone, in spite of the admittedly high cost. It was their duty to the country and the people to provide it, and it was their duty to themselves as representatives of the people in their conduct of , foreign affairs and national defences. Provision to minimise the effects of air warfare and restore the confidence of the civil population, was a matter of as much strategical, diplomatic, and national importance as the needs of the active defence services. System Defended The Home Secretary (Sir Samuel Hoare), who expressed gratitude for the help Mr Morrison had given him in his capacity as chairman of the Air Raid Precautions Committee of the London County Council, said that no Government had ever been faced with so complicated and so vast a series of problems as were raised by air raid precautions. He claimed that the system already in existence in Britain compared favourably with that of any other country, except Germany, which had begun to prepare very much earlier. Notable achievements included the recruitment of the greater part of 1,000,000 volunteers in six months—the rate of enrolment comparing favourably with that of Kitchener's Army in 1914-15, and the distribution in a few days of more than 38,000,000 gas-masks. Trenches sufficient to shelter 1,000,000 persons were provided in London at short notice.

• Providing Shelters Sir Samuel Hoare announced that it was the Government's intention I to consider a much more compre-! hensive shelter policy. He believed that it ought to provide blast-proof accommodation for all who could not provide it for themselves. Wherever possible, bomb-proof as well as blastproof " shelters should be available, but he could not anticipate' the details, which Sir John Anderson would develop on later occasions. Dealing with personnel, Sir Samuel Hoare said that one of Sir John Anderson's principal duties would be to deal with the question ox a national register and the utilisation of national service. The Home Office had reached the conclusion that there was need for nearly 500,000 trained air raid precautions workers, who would have to be paid whole-time in war time. An important step, which would not long be delayed, would be makling clear in what categories men and women could volunteer for air | raid precautions work, secure- in the j knowledge that their services would not be required elsewhere in an emergency. , Sir Samuel Hoare also claimed that the evacuation plans of the Government were far in advance of anything which had been worked out in any other country. Charges of profiteering were being investigated. New Anti-aircraft Gun Dr. Hugh Dalton ended the debate for the Opposition and the Secretary for War (Mr L. Hore-Belisha) replied for the Govefnment. Mr Hore-Belisha said that from now oh the country must pay, the same attention to its anti-aircraft defences as it had always paid to the maintenance of the Fleet. He dealt in detail with the recent development of the anti-aircraft defence force, both in personnel and equipment. Referring in particular to the 3.7inch gun, about which there has

been much criticism, he said that the whole enlarged anti-aircraft defence force of five divisions would be substantially provided for by the middle of 1939; and that, considering the design of the gun only was finally approved in the middle of 1937, this would constitute record production, comparing favourably with anything previously done in any country, even in time of war. The disadvantage of producing the hew gun was that it induced an impression that the existing equipment was obsolete; but actually the 3-inch gun was an accurate weapon, modernised, .and having the same first control equipment as the new gun. The Minister mentioned that the bulk of air activity in Spain had been at heights well within the range of the 3-inch gun. A Labour motion was defeated by 355 votes to 130, and a Government amendment was adopted without a division. Because of indisposition the Prime j Minister (Mr Neville" Chamberlain) was not. present at the debate in the House of Commons.

COST OF MEASURES DURING CRISIS GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE PUT AT £5,500,000 . (»»rTißru ovriciAt. wTßcr.xaa.l RUGBY, November 3. cost of the recent mobilisation of the British Fleet is provisionally assessed at £2,000,000. The estimated cost of air-raid precautions to local authorities was about £3,300,000, of which £2,000,000 comes from the national Exchequer. Sir John Simon, Chancellor of the Exchequer, stated in the House of Commons that the estimated cost to the Exchequer of special measures directly attributable to the recent international crisis, including the mobilisation of the Fleet and air raid precautions, would be in the neighbourhood of £5,500,000, in addition to the credit of £10,000,000 granted to Czechoslovakia.

EMPHASIS ON MEANS FOR EVACUATION NEW MINISTER'S FIRST SPEECH caErn*B omcm wmrxtss.) RUGBY, November 3. During the House of Commons debate on defence, Sir John Anderson, in his first speech as Minister for Civil Defence, expressed the opinion that an evacuation policy must be worked out without delay. Shelters should be more numerous, and there should be regional planning.

He regarded the effective utilisation of man-power for national defence as the biggest problem.