ONE WORD FOR IT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23686, 19 December 1938, Page 10

ONE WORD FOR IT

Such a quantity of criticism has been directed at air-raid precautions in England that it is only fair to record one little success which can be credited to the General Post Office. This department has a scheme in hand whereby the whole of the country can be informed within five minutes of the approach of hostile aeropknes. The method whereby th e process works is that a central point is informed by telegraphists in communication with defence aeroplanes that raiders arc approaching. This centra] point, in turn, communicates that fret to 347 r j telephone exchanges in the British Isles. These exchanges send this message to local authorities, and in this way the police, the air-raid precautions authorities, and the fire brigade are all given time to put in hand certain precautionary measures. Four messages will in all be given out. The first a preliminary caution, the second the actual air-raid warning, the third to signify that the raid is over and that the raiders have passed, and the fourth the "all clear." The whereabouts of the main centre from which the scheme will be worked are not disclosed. The various messages which will be sent out will be in code, consisting in each instance of one word alone, denoting a list of operations to be immediately carried out.