Reorganising London's Shelters

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 5, 7 January 1941, Page 7

Reorganising London's Shelters

Labour Commoner Appointed to Control HEALTH, SANITATION AND ADMISSION (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Jan. 4. Alderman Charles Key, Labour M.P. for Bromley and Bow, who has been prominent in the organisation of civil defence in the Poplar area which has suffered heavily in the earlier German air raids, lias been appointed a regional Commissioner for the London Civil Defence Region and will take over the responsibility for the shelters from Admiral Sir Edward Evans, who resumes general duties as Regional Commissioner. Sir Edward Gowers becomes senior Regional Commissioner in London in place of Mx*. Euan Wallace who resigned on the grounds of ill-health. At. the same time it is announced that in future while the Ministry of Home Security will provide shelters their management will be under the Ministry of Healtu which will be responsible for public health, sanitation, admission and order. Alderman Key, it is believed, intends to appoint some qualified woman to give her whole time to the shelter problems of women and children. This reorganisation of the control of shelter accommo dation follows Mr. Churchill’s assurance in tlie Commons on the eve.of the Christmas recess that the organisation anu improvement of shelter conditions would be the first task of the Government at. home. Since they milst expect a continuation of Nazi frightfulness by night, those who had to grapple with the problems of mitigating to the utmost the conditions under which people would endure these assaults were, Mr. Churchill said, as much in the front line as the armoured columns in Libya. The Times calls the changes good news fox tho shelterers and adds: “Henceforward safety and health will both be under one control and links tho changes with the now powers taken by the Government only a few days ago to check the abuse affecting health and public order in the shelters."