RAID SHELTERS FOR CITY

Southland Times, Issue 24862, 30 September 1942, Page 5

RAID SHELTERS FOR CITY

Provision For 3000 Persons After a long discussion at its meeting last night the City C OUI ?j cil decided on a scheme of air raid shelters for the city. The shelters proposed will provide accommodation for 3000 at an estimated cost of £7OOO. These include three covered shelters, one at the Esk streetKelvin street area for 400 persons, one at the Gala street-Dee street area for 375 and one at the Clyde street-Forth street area for 375. These three shelters are estimated to cost £4600. In addition shelters . provided .by owners of business premises are estnnated to accommodate 1600 persons. The estimated cost of these shelters is £2400. Existing shelters will aCdo ’?" modate 250. The council’s share of the cost will be about £l6OO. This plan was an amendment of one presented to the council by the city engineer, who had been , asked to prepare details of a scheme as an amendment of his original proposals. AMENDED SCHEME This amended scheme provided for shelters to accommodate 4130 persons at an estimated cost of £9900. The shelters included covered trench shelters at the EsK street-Kelvin street area for 780, at the Gala street-Dee street area for 750, ana at the Clyde street-Forth street area for 750. Thus the three shelters provided for a total of 2280 persons and the estimated cost was £7500. To this had to be added shelters provided by owners of business premises. These were estimated to provide accommodation for 1600 at a cost of £2400. In addition there was the existing accom-

modation for 250. It was stated that the distribution of the cost of this scheme would be: Government. £6575; City Council, £2600; owners of business premises, £725. The engineer stated that he still favoured the first plan he had put forward in April last. This provided for covered trenches at Esk-Kelvin streets for 780 persons and strengthened basements in Dee street and elsewhere for 1390. In addition there were the business premises shelters for 1600. This plan had already been approved for subsidy and could have been well towards completion by now. It was In accordance with the Government code of construction. FIRST PROPOSAL FAVOURED Cr A. Scott, chairman of the Works Committee, said he thought the first proposal of the engineer should be accepted in toto. However, he knew that there was a great deal of opposition to the basement shelters. He moved that the original proposals made by the engineer be approved. Cr F. A. Webb seconded the motion pro forma. Cr A. W. Jones said he was opposed to the motion. There was no portion of the business area of Invercargill that was not three to five minutes' walk from an open area. He was" satisfied they could spend a lot of money uselessly. Whatever work was done should be done by contract. He regarded the basement shelters as death traps. Should the council agree to spend £9OOO when £l2OO or £l3OO might do the job? They did not have to provide shelters In the city, but within a reasonable distance of the city. Cr R. T. Parsons said It would be ample to provide for 3000, not for 4000 persons. He did not third: that £2500 should be spent at the Esk-Kelvin street area. They should concentrate on the shelters at Gala and Clyde streets and he did- not see why all the trenches in these areas should be covered in. It might be sufficient to have open trenches. He was against the basement shelters. “Underground shelters in this city are not justified.” said Cr G. J. Reed. He added that If adequate trench accommodation were provided it would not be necessary to have basement or underground shelters . Cr W. H. Boyes also suggested that they should concentrate on trenches. . Cr Webb said he thought the engineer was the post competent man to judge the question. DANGER FROM MAINS Cr G. B. Orbell asked whether the en- ; gineer could guarantee that the water mains would not break-and drown the people in . the shelters. This had happened in London and Munich. There was also the danger of gas mains breaking. I “I am in favour of the basements. They ‘ have proved successful elsewhere,” said Cr i J. Pickard. . [ Cr W. Aitchison said he was (definitely , opposed to the basement shelters because he regarded -them as death-traps. ' The city engineer said that the estimate 1 of 4000 was based on a tally of persons > employed In buildings in-the city. Provision : had also to be made for people in the ; streets. As for the gas and water mains he could give no guarantee. After further discussion the city engineer’s amended scheme was altered as , indicated above and was moved as an amendment to Cr Scott’s motion. The 1 amendment was carried, only Crs Scott, Pickard and Webb voting against it.