Health in the Shelters
Lord Horder's committee on health in shelters having re- ported in four days, the Ministry of Health has issued its recom- mendations—not its report—after two months. It is recog- nised that the greatest of all the difficulties arises from over- crowding in the larger shelters ; and therefore, it is not enough, though it is necessary, to insist on ventilation, sanitation, the provision of bunks, spraying to purify the air, and supervision by whole-time paid shelter-marshals. It is also essential to provide more shelters in the right places and to relieve overcrowding by dispersal. To this end many means must- be adopted. Private shelters not used at night may be requisitioned for public use. The use of Anderson shelters may be encouraged by the provision of bunks. Boroughs which have more accommodation than they need must not be allowed to persist in a dog-in-the-manger attitude, and should pool their resources with adjacent boroughs. Again, it is urged, and rightly, that the congestion should be relieved by further evacuation of children, mothers and the infirm ; but in this connexion it cannot be too strongly urged that complete success in the evacuation policy cannot be achieved unless the Minister of Health gives far more attention to the Provision of accommodation in the reception areas. . The fact that the Government has accepted the Horder recommendations does not at all mean that they are being applied effectively. That needs careful watching.
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