THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 22, 1939.
"Shelters Must Be Built"
Provisions Of The
Defence Act
OBLIGATIONS ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES and em- ployers to provide air-raid shelters for the public and for employees, and to train their staff in A.R.P. work, are set out in the Civil Defence Act, the text of has now been issued.
Occupiers of factories and mines, and owners of com- mercial buildings employing more than 50 persons are call- ed upon under the Act to provide air-raid shelters for their staff.
must Such occupiers and owners report to their factory inspector on the steps they have taken to provide such shelters within three months of of the "appropriate date." This, how- ever, is not more definitely specifled than the date of the first issue of ap- proval of a code, or of the formal issue of the list of specified areas, which- ever is the later.
GOVERNMENT GRANT
the
conform with employees must standard laid down in the provisional code, which gives the minimum re- quirement for overhead and lateral protection.
A revised edition of the code is in be issued as preparation, and will soon as practicable. It is pointed out that it will not differ from the pro- visional code "in essentials."
For all shelters constructed under the Act the Government will give a grant of 27 per cent., the equivalent of the income-tax rate at 5s 6d, pro- vided that by Sept. 30 the work is completed, or begun, or that prepara- been taken for the tory steps have
will which of a shelter, provision
ployees. that it will be satisfy the Minister completed within "a reasonable time" after that date.
The Act calls
upon a person employing more than 30 people in any factory, mine, or commer- clal building, to make a report in writing to the district factory in- spector, within one month of the passing of the Act, July 13, of the measures taken to train his em- This training is in the routine to be followed In the event of an air raid. An employer he has that must also report equipped a "sultable number" to give first aid treatment, to deal to with the effects of gas, and fight fires. Other matters dealt with in the Act relate to the provision of suitable workers, equip- ment and stores for first aid parties squads, the and decontamination covering of glass with wire-netting, and the provision of dark blinds and screens, or paint, for rendering win- dows opaque.
The Act gives local authorities pow- er to earmark specified premises for use as public air-raid shelters or air- raid precautionary purposes. This is subject to the right of appeal to the Minister of Civil Defence by the own- er of the premises within 14 days.
Owners of these designated pre-clothing for A.R.P.
any forbidden to make mises are structural alterations therein without the consent of the local authority.
Compensation is to be' paid for loss while the A.R.P. work is carried out, and for any subsequent loss of value caused by necessary alterations.
Provision is also made for the con- struction by local authorities of un- derground car parks, which will be suitable for shelters.
TRAINING EMPLOYEES It is explained by the A.R.P. De- partment that shelters constructed for
OFF THE RECORD
The Register
·B-1 Gand Trimescal
Section 4 refers to the duty of lo- cal authorities on, the strengthening of basements for public shelters, and the powers conferred on them.
Leaflets explaining the Act are now being sent to all authorities, to occu- piers of factories, and to owners commercial buildings.
of
CONFERENCE OF OSLO POWERS
to
Brussels, To-day.
The Netherlands Government has accepted the Belgian Invita-
of tion
the conference a "Oslo Powers" which is being (Wednes- held here to-morrow day).
The Netherlands will be re- presented by her Foreign Minis-
ter.
4
that It is considered certain the conference will be entirely devoted to problems of Interna tional politics.-Reuter Bulletin.
MORE JAPANESE VANDALISM
Chungking, To-day.
including Five Britons
Australians and three
of them Canadian, three
women
a
and an American woman had narrow escapes during a raid of 36 Japanese bombers on Kating on Satur- day, according to foreign re- ports reaching here.
estimates the One foreign report casualties at 500, but the Chinese esti- mate is 1,000.
Many incendiary bombs were drop- ped, causing numerous fires. Most of the city's business the buildings in district were wrecked.
CHURCH DESTROYED A Canadian church adjoining a
VOLUNTEER
SERVICES SHORTAGE
London, To-day.
+
Anxiety at the decreasing number of applications re- ceived for various auxiliary service organisations is ex- pressed in the London press.
The "Daily Telegraph" reports that in all there was a shortage of 350,000 men. It had become evident that the first batches of volunteers included many who were unfit for service.
In the last week, applications had greatly diminished. As against an average of 100,000 a week in April and 50,000 a week until recently, ap- plications last week only amounted to about 24,000.
un-
only
The position was particularly satisfactory in Glasgow, where 17,000 had applied, while 35,000 were wanted.
In
A.R.P.
London alone, 20,000 wardens, 11,000 volunteers for am- bulance work, 15,000 assistant A.R.P. wardens and 2,000 men for the au- xiliary fire brigade were Trans-Ocean.
PHONES CUT
needed.-
Berlin, To-day. Telephone connections between Warsaw and Berlin were inter- rupted at midnight last night.
The Berlin exchange was un- able to put through any calls to the Warsaw as, it was stated, wires had been severed in Poland, -Trans-Ocean.
clinic was demolished.
Nine students were killed when a bomb fell on a building of the Wuhan University, which had moved to Kat- ing after the fall of Hankow.
A special 'plane chartered by the American Relief Committee has left Chungking for Kating with doctors and nurses-Reuter.
GERMANY STANDS
By ED REED. FIRM ON DANZIG
"Harry! Stop having those nightmares about weeding the garden!"
Here's Luck
EWO BEER
ALMOST THE WHOLE news section of the German press continues to be filled with lengthy despatches on alleg- ed Polish "precautions,” says a Trans-Ocean message from Berlin.
Obviously with the intention of working up public feeling, the newspapers publish what purport to be eye-witness stories of "brutal treatment meted out to Germans in Poland by the Polish authorities and armed members of the Polish insurgent association.”
Polish troops and workers are re-
ported to be engaged in the Construc- JAPAN'S
tion of defence works along various sectors of the Polish frontier, while
garrisons in the neighbourhood of the ATTITUDE
frontier are said to have been con- last 24 siderable reinforced in the hours.
TO EUROPE
Tokyo; To-day.
The "Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung" says that Germany has a claim for reparation in respect of Poland and
The Premier; Baron intends to stand firm on this demand.
SOLUTION IMPERATIVE Hiranuma, was received by London and Paris are well aware, the Emperor once more yes- says the paper, that a solution of the Danzig qucation has become impera-terday morning at the Im- summer residence tive, and it is no longer a question perial
of whether but of how it is to be of Hayma to report on for-
solved.
the
to
The paper talks of Hitler's. "his-eign and domestic questions. Later the Premier had a conversa- toric mission" and says there is no difference between Austria, the Sude-tion with the Lord Keeper of tenland and Memel, and Danzig or Privy Seal, Kurahel Yuasa. the Corridor!
Reparation in all these cases, ac- cording to the journal, is a matter of "national honour." Some have already been settled-others settlement.
It is learned that the attitude be taken by the Japanese Govern- ment in the question of the Anglo- and towards Japanese negotiations await European developments was discuss-
ed at the conference--Trans-Ocean.
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