Shelters—and Homes
Mr. Herbert Morrison and Admiral Sir Edward Evans have ken making extensive personal tours of air-raid shelters in London's most exposed areas, and Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, as Minister of Health, and Lord Horder have also been investi- gating the problem in co-operation with Sir Edward. It has already been decided that shelters must be provided for at least a million Londoners where they can sleep and feel some measure of security--accomn;todation with bed-bunks is to be provided for mothers and children first, for working women and men next, and tickets are to be issued so that there need be no scrambling for places. The calling in of Lord Horder shows that it is realised that mere security against bombs is not enough. There must be heating in the winter, sanitation and ventilation—without these there will be grave dangers to public health. The fear of epidemics is no empty apprehension. It is necessary to push on with the utmost energy and speed in making available more and better shelters, using the Tubes to better advantage, so far as that can be done, perhaps extending Tube tunnels in certain places, conditioning steel buildings, and exploring other means of finding protec- tion. In the poorer areas especially time is of the essence of the matter. It should be understood that the task of providing shelters is only part of what has to be done. The public shelters, even if provided with bunks and served with mobile canteens, are not homes. Most of the workers still have their homes, and will go on using them by day ; others have had their dwellings smashed, and these must be quickly provided with alternative accommodation which they can use at least in the day-time.
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