STATE OF A.R.P.

Evening Star, Issue 23129, 1 December 1938, Page 15

STATE OF A.R.P.

"WE ARE NOT PREPARED" GOVERNING CLASSES BLAMED “ We had no illusions at all about the state of unpreparedness of the country to receive a sudden air attack. We are not prepared. We have hardly begun to prepare. We do not know how all the failures that occurred during the crisis can be avoided next time.” These statements were made by Mr C. W. G. Eady, Deputy Under-Secre-tary of State and Administrative Chief of the A.R.P. Department at the Home Office, when he lectured on the lessons of the crisis to a meeting of officers of the three services and A.R.P. officials at the ißoyal United Services Institution, London (says the 1 Manchester Guardian ’). (Replying to criticisms and suggestions made at the meeting, Mr Eady said that the question of making A.R.P. a paid service would be considered by the Government in the general issue of national service. Sir Thomas Inskip, Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence, gave a hint that an announcement regarding national service might be made “ comparatively soon.” He said that the question of national registration was under close examination. “ Compulsory registration is merely a means to an end If it is a means of ascertaining the people who are wanted for vacant positions, then it is valuable. Registration without that purpose is a waste of time and money,” Earlier he had spoken of the “ wealth of readiness for national service,” of the many who had offered their services. and of those who complained that they were not aware of the directions in which they might assist. “ I hope the public will receive some assistance comparatively soon,” he added.

Mr Eadv said it might be argued that the Home Office had exaggerated the gas risk, but if that risk was less, it was less because of the preparations made against attack. “ We are further ahead in preparation for the protection of the civil population againt various types of gs than any other country in Europe,” he added. “SLOPPY REGULATIONS.” Mr Eady described the regulations issued by the A.R.P. Department as “ probably the sloppiest regulations that were ever produced by any Government department.” “ But,” he said, ‘‘ there is a certain amount of flexibility and common sense to be left in A.R.P., and we were not sure that we were the only persons that possessed that common sense.” For nine months the Home Office had been “ haunted by recruiting ” for A.R.P. “ This has got to be said, and it might as well be said at once,” he said, “ people who are known as the governing classes of this country have, broadiv speaking, done very little to help the local authorities’ A.R.P. It has been a very serious thing that A.R.P. has had to be organised largely by officials and the local authorities, and that most of the personnel are the industrial workpeople of the country. “ We have not got anything like the number of wardens we want, nor have we got in all cases the type of warden we want. This is not entirely the fault of the people. I do not think we have been very wise or skilful, and perhaps not very intelligent, in the appeal we have made to the masses of the people about A.R.P.” FIRST AID AND AMBULANCES. They had got to teach the people that first aid work in an air raid was not a soft job, hut was as dangerous as any other A.R.P. work. Probably they had made a mistake in thinking in the crisis that it was better not to have a doctor in charge of first aid posts. They were not sure that there would be enough doctors for the work. Not having nearly enough ambulances, they had designed a fitting with which motor vans could be converted. In the crisis all the 400 Green Line buses would have been fitted out as ambulances in 24 hours if the necessity had arisen. “ I think,” said Mr Eady, “ that wo have made A.R.P. too much of a science. It has been linked too much with technical stuff, and it has puzzled people. It is not a mystery. It is a job of pure subdivision of some quite simple tilings.” The Home Office was not looking for highfalutin’ qualities of leadership, but leaders who were prepared to give up a little time for training and experience and skill in administration and organisation. “ NOT A CIVILIAN JOB.” General Sir George Jeffreys complained of lack of organisation on the uart of the Home Office during the

crisis, and suggested that A.R.P. was not a civilian matter at all. The head of the department ought to he a senior officer of one of the services.' “We have had a lack of guidance from the Home Office,” he said, strenuously denying Mr Eady’s assertion that the " governing classes ” had done very little.

Wing-commander T. R. Cave-Brown-Cave said: “If people could bo assured that when war comes they would he given paid employment at quite a moderate salary you would find that the .number of volunteers who would take the job seriously would be very much increased.”

Wing-commander E. H. Sparling. A.R.P. officer for Esses, agreed that in his county at any rate the leisured classes had done very little. “It is remarkable,” he said, “ that the artisan classes are practically the only people who have volunteered.” It was very doubtful if the voluntary system could be made to work. MEN OF STANDING. Mr Eady, replying to the discussion, said he did not withdraw his statement that the “ governing classes ” had done very little. ,“ In the big cities,” he added. “ there are men in business of considerable standing who sometimes take part in local government. Those are the people, together with their sons, from whom we might have hoped that some response to this civil duty of A.R.P. would have arisen.”

The question of paid service for air raid workers was one which would be reviewed by the Government in connection with the general issue of national service. “We know nearly all the failures that did occur during the crisis,” he said, “ but we do not honestly know the answer as to how all these failures can be avoided next time.”

Sir Philip Game, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who presided, said that one of the difficulties seemed to be that a great many were preparing for something like the last war instead of the next one. “ There may be chaos in the rural areas,” he added, “ but the alternative is that 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 people will be blown to pieces in London.”