AIR-RAID SHELTERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 July 1939, Page 4

AIR-RAID SHELTERS

WHAT BRITAIN IS DOING The Government’s programme for distributing free air-raid shelters to those with incomes in the neighbourhood, of £250 a year will be substantially completed by the end of September, says the “Daily Telegraph and Morning Post.” At the moment about 500,000 sheltehs, for a maximum of 3,000,000 people, have been distributed. By the end of September 1,400,000 shelters, protecting up to 10,000,000 persons, will have gone out. This represents the maximum capacity at present of the steel industry. Originally a total of something like 2,000,000 shelters was envisaged, but this has been reduced by the number of houses found to be unsuitable for the Anderson shelter and for which brick and concrete huts and communal shelters are being prepared. When this part of the Government’s programme is completed, anyone above the £250 income limit will be able to buy a garden shelter. The total cost will be about £B. Further statements on this question will be made in the House of Commons by Sir John Anderson, Lord Privy Seal. There has been some criticism of the Government’s apparent neglect of those above the £250 a year mark, and when committee stage cf the Civil Defence Bill is resumed, an important step will be taken to improve their position.

The Government will accept aii amendment enabling local authorities to raise loans whereby steel shelters can be sold on the instalment system. The cost will be shared between landlord and tenant, and spread over a number of years. Short of this arrangement, it is now realised, a surprisingly small proportion of the population will trouble to spend money on any form of private shelter. Propping of basements which should protect another 10,000,000 people at home and provide a. big proportion of the public shelter in cities and towns, is likely to take much longer. The work will be completed by the end of the year. Rapid progress is being made with the country-wide survey of suitable housing, and towns like Sheffield and Bradford* have already mapped out most of their public shelters.

Mass production of the necessary steel sheets and joists has only just begun, however. Their fitting will in volve far more work than distribution and assembly of Anderson shelters.