SWITCHING OFF OF LIGHTS

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23588, 16 March 1942, Page 4

SWITCHING OFF OF LIGHTS

BLACK-OUT PENALTIES POLICY DEFENDED Complaints against the penalising of offenders against the black-out regulations by switching off their lights were discussed at a meeting of Emergency Precautions Services controllers and wardens on Saturday evening. "If we could prosecute them all, and the cases could be heard reasonably quickly. I would prefer not to have offenders’ lights switched off,” said the Mayor (Mr E. H. Andrews). The Courts, however, were still dealing with offences during the previous black-out, and with the other forms of extra work at present falling on the Magistrates, it would be impossible for them to deal with all the black-out offences. Mr M. E. Lyons said that all the cases dealt with had been sifted and carefully examined, and it was necessary to do something about these offences. and to do it quickly. It was quite legitimate to employ the method that had been employed to impress upon people that these things must not be. It was necessary to stand behind the wardens. The case to which most publicity had recently been given was a most glaring one, and publicity should not have been given to it before the Emergency Precautions Services authorities had been asked to state the facts. Black-out offenders’ were described by Mr W. Machin as traitors to the rest of the community. Delay in their prosecution had resulted in leaving a weak point in our defences, which could not be tolerated any longer. Light wardens were probably disheartened by the leading article in “The Press,” which said that they would be wrong in cutting off the light. Mr Machin was very pleased with the vigorous statement of Mr F. J. Shanks on the subject. Wardens, said Mr Machin, would be unpopular, but they were not going to let Mat sort of thing put them off their stroke. ________________