SMALL A.R.P. GRANT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXII, Issue 42, 18 August 1941, Page 9

SMALL A.R.P. GRANT

DISMAY IN AUSTRALIA

ATTACK FROM THE AIR

VIEW OF EXPERTS

(0.C.) SYDNEY, August 14. In view of the repeated reminders of her leaders that Australia is in greater peril of attack than ever before, many people are concerned by the decision of the Federal Government to limit its

grant for air-raid precautions,

The amount proposed is £500,000 in all' States, which the State Governments ar*> expected to subsidise pound for pound. The New South Wales Government alone has planned to spend £1,000,000 on safety measures at the State's three vulnerable industrial centre's—Sydney, Newcastle, and Wollon-gong-Fort Kembla. The Minister for National Emergency Services, Mr. Heffron, is indignant. "We will not drop our proposals," he said. "My belief is that happenings in the future will be a sufficient spur to the Federal Government to provide for our full requirements and force it to take a more realistic view of the position." No such action is likely by the Federal Government at present, however, as its A.R.P. assistance to. the States is based on the estimates of its military advisers that not more than one attack by planes from sea-borne carriers is likely in any fortnight. 70 TONS OF BOMBS. Commonwealth experts say that the scale of aerial attack which Australia might suffer would consist of the dropping of about 70 tons of bombs on any objective area within a period of 24 hours. . That estimate is based on an attack launched by aeroplanes from aircraft carriers.

Any enemy sending aeroplane carriers, claims the Minister for Home Security, Mr. Abbott, must carry his aircraft long distances over the ocean, and, in doing this, he will be in grave dangei of discovery by aerial patrols in the outer defences of the Commonwealth

It was reasonable to believe that finally he would stand about 200 miles from the coast. The range of flight of the type of plane carried was from 550 to 600 miles, so, as the machine would have to fly 200 miles to the coast and 200 miles back, there would remain only a margin of 150 miles to operate over land. This would leave a run of only 70 or 75 miles inland— probably W more than 50 miles in actual practice. It is anticipated jy experts" that attacks would be made two or three hours before dawn or in the late afternoon.