TRANSPORT MUST GO ON

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVII, Issue 21528, 15 December 1939, Page 4

TRANSPORT MUST GO ON

Lifeblood Of Country Precautions Against Mass Air Attack British Official Wireless ’Received December 14. 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, November 13. In a broadcast, the Minister of Transport (Captain Euan Wallace) revealed interesting facts concerning the arrangements made to safeguard and repair docks, roads and railways in the event of air raids. After stating that transport was the lifeblood of a civilised country, Captain Wallace added that the first danger guarded against on the outbreak of war was the disorganisation of transport by mass air attack on docks, railway bridges and road 1 junctions. The measures adopted to minimise the result of such raids included a scheme for the diversion of homebound ships to safer ports. Dumps of road and permanent way material had been formed and immediately a raid was over would be available for repair work to begin at once. Repairing bridges was a more difficult problem, but the rapid erection of both road and rail bridges had been ensured by the accumulation of bridge parts specially designed for various spans which were capable of very rapid erection. The Minister described them as looking like a “boy’s meccano set.”

To ensure that the general transport system would be able to carry on the ordin / .-y work and additional war burdens, the Minister said that Parliament had given him very extended powers. The four main line railways and the London Transport Board had been brought under his control and administered by a committee, while the working of the principal ports had been placed in the hands of committees representing port users and interested trades unions.

Captain Wallace paid a tribute to the great work already done by the transport undertakings and workers, and expressed confidence in the continued co-operation of the managements and workers whatever difficulties or dangers the future may bring.