RAID SHELTERS IN CITY

Southland Times, Issue 24754, 27 May 1942, Page 4

RAID SHELTERS IN CITY

Location Question POWERS OF E.P.S. AND CITY COUNCIL

After a long discussion, in which reference was made to the respective powers of the City Council and the E.P.S. organization in the matter of taking air raid precautions, the City Council at its meeting last night passed three motions. The first, moved by Cr R. T. Parsons and seconded by Cr A. W. Jones, stated that the question of providing air raid shelters in the city should be referred to the Works Committee before any definite steps were taken in the matter. The second, also moved by Cr Parsons and seconded by Cr Jones, was as follows: “That the E.P.S. executive be asked to refrain from further action in the matter of shelters until the Works Committee has considered the question, including the location of the proposed shelters. By the third motion Crs Jones, J. Pickard and A. Scott were added to the executive of the E.P.S. organization. USE OF BASEMENTS Cr F. A. Webb, a representative of the City Council on the E.P.S. executive, said it had been proposed to utilize certain basements in Tay street, Dee street and the Crescent for air raid shelters. The floors above the basements would have to be strengthened and entrances built to the basements. The entrances would lead off the streets and these entrances would have to be protected by structures which would cause some interference on the footpath. It was also proposed to line some of the trenches and cover them over. Accommodation would be provided for about 4000 persons. The estimated cost was £7OOO, of which about £lOOO would be borne by the City Council. The owners of the buildings would have to pay a quarter of the cost of converting basements into air raid shelters. Plans for the air raid shelters had been referred to the Public Works Department for approval. If the department approved it was suggested that tenders should then be called. i Cr Webb added that before the work was proceeded with the owners or the buildings in which the basements were located would be consulted and their co-operation sought. He did not want property owners to get the idea that they would simply be ordered to do this and that. “DEATH TRAPS” Cr Parsons said he thought the E.P.S. was taking too much for granted. The plan should have been referred to the Works Committee, which was responsible for digging up the roads. The bombs that were being dropped today would penetrate the basements and they would only be death traps for the public. The shelters should be built in the parks. An enemy would drop his bombs on the city. He would not worry about the parks. The City Council was allowing the E.P.S. to have too muph power in the city. The council was allowing one man to run the town, and it should put its foot down. If the council did that he was sure that the people would support the council. The council had refused to appeal for its second engineer w’hen he was called up for service. Yet the E.P.S. had appealed for the engineer and the council had allowed the E.P.S. to get away with it. People had told him that if Invercargill were bombed they would go for the open country and get into the first trench. He objected to the council spending money on what would be death traps. If the enemy dropped fire bombs the people in the basement shelters would be roasted to death, because, if the water supply was cut off, the fire brigade would not be able to deal with all the fires. In reply to questions, the city engineer, Mr F. M. Cofkill, said it was impossible in Invercargill to build shelters that would give immunity against direct hits. It was only possible to provide shelters against splinters and blasts. He himself would prefer to be in a trench. But every person had not that preference and might prefer to go to basement shelters. FURTHER INQUIRY URGED Cr Jones said he agreed with a lot that Cr Parsons had said. If there was no warning of a raid, then there was something wrong with the defence of the country. Before the council spent money, made business people spend money and disfigure the streets it should inquire further into the matter. Cr Parsons said that the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor should be the E.P.S. controller. He had been told that there would be a warning of a raid. Raids were likely to come in the daytime and not at night. Cr G. B. Orbell asked how many basements were to be used, how many entrances there were to be for each basement shelter, and whether the basements had wooden floors above them or concrete floors. Mr Corkill said there would be two entrances to each basement. New three-inch timber would be put under the wooden floors above the basements, and there was also provision for a layer of shingle. He gave a list of the proposed basement shelters. In reply to a question from Cr W. H. Thomas Mr Corkill said he approved of the system of shelters.

FIRE DANGER Cr Orbell said that the shelters might be all right for high explosive bombs, but it seemed to him they were not making any provision for incendiary bombs. He did not think it was fair to ask people to go down to basements with wooden floors above them. The town clerk, Mr W. F. Sturman, explained that Mr J. R. Martin had been unable to devote the time necessary to the duties of Chief Controller of the E.P.S. organization. Mr H. J. Macalister was then asked to take up the duties.. The E.P.S. organization was established at a meeting of citizens called by the Mayor. s Cr Jones said there was no desire to disturb the existing organization, but the council should have some control. The Deputy-Mayor, Cr A. Wachner, said he had told the executive of the E.P.S. that he could not approve of the scheme for air raid shelters until it had been placed before the council. Cr Webb said he had told Mr Macalister that he could not give approval to heavy expenditure without the consent of the council. The council had not been committed to the air raid shelter scheme, which, so far, had only been referred to the Public Works Department for approval. E.P.S. AND COUNCIL Cr Orbell: The E.P.S. organization should be in the same position as a committee of this council. A committee attends to the small matters, but anything big it refers to the council. The E.P.S. should do the same. Mr Corkill, in reply to further questions, said that many of the questions raised in the debate would not have been raised if councillors had had an opportunity of inspecting the plans in his office. The site of the shelters had been decided on in accordance with the density of. the population. The shelters had to be where the people were. Cr Jones: There is no part of Dee street or Tay street from which you cannot get to a reserve in three minutes. If you think the people of Invercargill are going to herd like sheep in a lot of pens in Dee street, you have another think coming.