POISON GAS DANGER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23807, 13 May 1939, Page 18

POISON GAS DANGER

SYDNEY DOCTOR CAUSTIC MONEY WASTED ON MEASURES (From Our Own Correspondent) SYDNEY, May 2. Sydney's health officer, Dr Graham Drew, became caustic in a speech to 100 municipal health officers on recent exaggerations of the danger to this metropolitan area from poison gas attacks by an enemy. " The whole idea of an aerial gas attack on Sydney succeeding is ludicrous," he said. Criticising certain features of the air raid precaution plans, Dr Drew deplored " the misleading statements of ardent amateurs and scaremongers." "To gas an area of one square metre effectively would require 25 grams of gas," Dr Drew pointed out. "That means that 50,000 tons of gas would be required for Sydney. Such a bombardment would require 50,000 planes, carrying 200,000 men. "Even supposing that only the heart of the city, with an area of 164 square miles, were to be gassed, 12,500 planes, carrying 50,000 men and 12,500 tons of gas, would be required. Those figures must be increased by one-third, because 30 per cent, of the attacking planes would never reach their objective. Added to that is the fact that gas to be effective needs clear nights, little or no wind, no heavy rain, and warm temperatures. Sydney's almost prevailing winds and natural features are ideally suited to the mitigation of gas dangers. " From a medical point of view, I am not entirely in agreement with the precautionary scheme laid down. I feel a great deal of time and labour is being taken up in organising first-aid posts in schools, when the money could be much better spent on more planes and antiaircraft guns. Air raids on Sydney are not going to be of such a nature to warrant these first-aid posts. Why spend the money on fitting up schools when we could commandeer golf clubs, bowling clubs, and other buildings with hot and cold water and receiving rooms already fitted up?"