Civil Defence

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31655, 16 April 1968, Page 14

Civil Defence

Sir,—Like most of my colleagues, I have no idea where to report in an emergency, as I have never been told. Surely doctors, for example, should have directions where to report, as well as some civil defence Identification for themselves and their car (if cars could still travel). Many doctors live miles from their surgeries, and even though surgeries are strategically placed throughout cities and towns, no mention has ever been made of having these available. After all, doctors have them well stocked with medical supplies, which is not the case at home. Some school was mentioned to me years ago in a query from someone, but I would not know if it was one of many schools near my home, or surgery, which is miles away. May I suggest the organisation of doctors, and any other key personnel be attended to now, not next week or next month, and that regular dummy runs be put into practice, involving all civil defence personnel?— Yours, etc., MEDIC. April 15, 1968. Sir,—l must strongly object to Mr Kirk’s harsh criticism of the Christchurch civil defence organisation. Obviously Mr Kirk never heard repeated police appeals to everybody through the N.Z.B.C. radio, that if the people in danger areac thought they were in need of help, they only had to ring a number and the police would be there to help or evacuate immediately. Who did Mr Kirk expect to see at 2.30 in the morning when anybody in the flooded areas who needed help would have received it? If Mr Kirk was really in touch with' the situation as it was, by what right and bn whose advice did he ring Mr Moffat at 3 a.m ? Finally, was our Leader of the Opposition acting as a private citizen, or under some Official capacity, when he questioned Mr Moffat’s claim that the police had everything under control?—Yours, etc., VOLUNTEER. April 15, 1968. Sir.—l was impressed by the space given by you to Mr Kirk’s remarks on this subject. Would it be asking too much of you to provide space for the following: (1) A list of carpets and other floor coverings Irretrievably lost. Most readers, I think, would prefer that such a list have a page to itself, and not be obscured by items such as the Wahine disaster and the

Mataura floods. (2) A list of volunteers with superfluous hot air who would be willing to "help dry out the floor coverings that were merely dampened and not ruined. I suggest that Mr Kirk be asked to lead this team. (3) A dictionary definition of the meaning of the word “dumbfounded,” which was, I believe, misused by Mr Kirk in an attempt to describe himself. —Yours, etc., SAVE THE CARPETS. April 15, 1968.