AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1941, Page 7

AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS

THE POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND. The need of giving intelligent attention to the possibility of air attack in N.Z. was mentioned by Mr J. M. Dawson (president of the New Zealand Institute, of Architects) in his address at the annual meeting. ‘A move in the direction of listing buildings which are suitable for air raid shelters, or could easily be made suitable is a work which the members of our body and the closely-allied profession of engineering are qualified to undertake,” he said. "Information received from Great Britain and pic tures of the effects of bombing show that by far the greater amount of damage is caused, not by the diiect hit, but by the propulsive and retractive forces set up by the explosion. The stresses set up in buildings by these forces are almost exactly those which structures complying with New Zealand’s Earthquake Building Code that not only the basements but also are designed to resist. It follows then every floor of the reinforced concrete and steel-frame buildings which have been erected in the Dominion during recent years would provide reasonable protection.”