AIR-RAID SHELTERS

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22214, 6 March 1942, Page 4

AIR-RAID SHELTERS

Permanent Structures Requirements Of Town Premises A public meeting at which the leg illations requiring owners of buildings to provide air-raid shelters for the number of persons normally in the buildings was held in the Council Chambers last night. The acting-Mayor (Mr P. B. Foote) presided. There was an attendance of 30. Mr Foote said that he was pleased to see a reasonable attendance. The meeting had been called to convey information to the public regarding the construction of more permanent air-raid shelters. Of emergency precautions there seemed to be no end, but all the matters were urgent, and should be treated by the public as urgent. He was frequently asked by people as to whether he thought all these measures were necessary, and the reply he gave was that people who knew better than he did had asked the authorities to put the work in hand. Up to the moment Timaru had been reasonably successful, and in many respects the town was further ahead than other centres. In the first place the Government had asked them to construct slit trenches for the protection of the public, and these had been constructed. Later they were told that shelters of a more permanent nature would be required, and now they had received instructions that these were to be put in hand. A survey of population density had been carried out, and now they were in a position to issue instructions to the owners of property concerned. Cr. W. H. Hall, as chairman of the Works Committee of the Council, and chairman of the works section of the E.P.S., said that many communications had been received from the Government conveying regulations and setting out what was to be done to provide reasonable shelter for the public. Timaru was classed as one of the vulnerable areas, so the least they could do was to comply with the regulations as quickly as possible. The engineer and he had spent some time selecting suitable places for public shelters, and had in view part of the basement of the Public Trust building, a subway from Cannon Street to the Bay, and the building of shelters in the Dominion Motors garage, C.F.C.A. garage and other places. Density Survey Speaking in regard to business premises, Cr. Hall said that a density survey had been made, and notices would be served on owners where it was considered shelters would have to be constructed. In order to receive the Government subsidy on public or private shelters, plans and specifications, with detailed estimates of costs must be approved by the Public Works Department. This meant that an enormous amount of extra work was thrown on the borough engineer, and the Council had asked for and had received assistance from the Levels County Council, whose engineer (Mr A. R. Callander) would assist Mr Comrie. The Council and Its officers were prepared to assist the public in every way, but speed was the essence of the whole business, and everyone should be prepared to help. Cr. Hall then read a precis of the regulations, which dealt with public shelters and those for business premises. In the latter case, the regulations stated that owners would be required to provide shelters for any persons working or living on the premises. If plans were approved by the Government, then the Government would contribute to the cost as follows: (a' Public shelter work, 75 per cent to be borne by the Crown, 25 per cent to be borne by the local authority; (b> business premises shelters, 50 per cent to be borne by the Crown, 25 per cent by the owner or occupier, and 25 per cent by the local authority. Methods of providing shelters were as follows: (1) Quick dispersal to homes or to shelter in natural features, as far as duration of warning will allow; (2) shelter trench system; (3) shelter within the buildings, in accordance with approved shelter standard; (4) shelter in specially constructed or communal shelters. The regulations provided for appeals, which must be lodged within three days. More Than 30 Persons In reply to Mr R. L. Eames, Cr. Hall said that shelters would not be required in buildings where there would not be 30 or more persons in the building at a given time. In Timaru there were about 60 premises where there were likely to be more than 30 persons at a given time. The Mayor said that each building owner should have some consideration for his staff, even though the number might be less than 30. It was not a Government requirement, but it certainly was a humane requirement. Asked whether strongrooms would provide adequate shelter, the engineer (Mr R. J. Comrie) said that strongrooms were not desirable shelters, because they did not provide a second outlet. If the building collapsed and the debris covered the doorway, the occupants of the strongroom would be trapped. Cr. Hall said that some difficulty would be experienced in regard to labour and material, but that would have to be overcome. The engineer, in reply to a question, said that a slit trench, properly covered, would meet the regulations, providing it was located at a distance where there was no danger from failing debris. A suggestion was made by Mr G. Wills that the Borough Council should undertake the construction of shelters and make a charge, as the men would be proficient in the work. The chairman said that there was a shortage of men, and those who were available would be engaged in attending to the schools for the next five or six weeks. Under existing circumstances those concerned would have to turn to and do the work themselves on Saturdays and Sundays. Cr. Hall said there would have to be a change in the present system of a 40-hour week. The people would have to wake up; they were still three parts asleep, and, unless they wakened up, then they were going to fail. The people would have to work much longer and without fancy rates of pay. Leadership was lacking at the moment, and he thought the meeting might well pass a resolution urging the Government to give a lead. Mr Eames considered that the owners of premises should call a meeting of their staffs and appeal to the employees to do the work in their own time for their own preservation. Cr. Hall said that the trouble was that some people wanted overtime for doing anything extra. They did not see why they should be the mugs. The position was that they should all pull their weight and get the work done, for it was for the benefit of everyone. The meeting carried the following resolution, moved by Mr Eames and seconded by Mr Wills: “That tins meeting requests that firms occupying buildings which require the construction of air-raid shelters for the protection of staffs immediately call a meeting of the staffs and arrange for the staffs to construct such air-raid shelters in their own premises or in association with other firms nearby, in compliance with the regulations.”