Civil Defence
The civil defences of this country against war are at the present moment virtually non-existent ; even what survives from 1945 in the way of experience and equipment is bound to be out of date. As a first step to remedy this state of affairs the new Civil Defence Bill is to be welcomed, although as it stands it is only another of the by now familiar enabling Bills which confer the maximum powers on unspecified Ministers. Apparently it is the intention of the Government, once the Bill has become law, to begin recruiting for civil defence volunteers to serve on roughly the same terms as those offered for the other auxiliary services. Centres of instruction are to be revived and a trained nucleus will be formed round which a larger civil defence force could be formed if necessary. At the same time the Bill revives the obligations laid down under the 1939 Act compelling factory owners and others to train their employees in civil defence and provide shelters for them. Until, however, it becomes known what form civil defence in another war is likely to take it cannot be expected that factory owners will do anything ; the only suggestion which has so far officially been made is that shelters still standing should not be destroyed. There is no sign that the Government is yet any nearer making up its mind on such questions as deep shelters, dispersal of industry, evacuation and so on than it was shown to be during the debate in the Commons on civil defence in March. It is true that to make public any elabbrate plans on these subjects would plunge the public into unnecessary apprehension, but when the stage comes for calling for volunteers some detailed information will have to be given of the sort of service they are being called on to perform.
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