IN CASE OF WAR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22896, 26 November 1937, Page 12

IN CASE OF WAR

BRITAIN PREPARES SAFETY IN AIR RAIDS MODEL STREET BUILT BOMBING TESTS MADE LONDON, Nov. IS Discussing in the House of Commons the work of the Air Raid Precautions Department, Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd, Parliamentary Under-Secre-tary to the Home Office, stated that a full-scale model of a London street had been built at Shoeburyness experimental range. The model was fitted with electric, water and gas mains, sewers and hydrants. Tests had been carried out with 5001b. semi-armour-piercing bombs. Incendiary bombs had been dropped on a derelict house, in which a number of girls, using "householders' equipment," had controlled the bombs in every case. In another experiment, unskilled men gas-proofed a room. Two tons of chlorine gas were liberated 20 yards away. Then mustard gas was liberated 10 yards to the windward of the room. Animals inside the building were not affected, even after 20 hours. .Mr. LI oyd said that respirators could be worn by children as young as four years, and a special device for babies was being tested. "Trials have shown that respirators can be worn by the aged and infirm, and in cases of asthma, a respirator appears to have a positive curative result," he added. EMPIRE AIR TERMINUS SCHEME REJECTED PORTSMOUTH CO UNCI L'S VI EW ALLOCATION OF COST (Received November 25. 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Nov. 21 Chiefly on the grounds that national expenditure should not be part of the ratepayers' responsibility, the Portsmouth Council has rejected the Langstone air base scheme. The bill, therefore, lapses, although it is suggested that the Government might carry out the scheme alono. The scheme was to provide an Umpire air terminus, the estimate of the cost being £700.000, toward which the Government was to grant about £160,000.