The Release of Civil Defence Workers
It is now nearly a year since heavy enemy air-attacks on this country were frequent, and for some time the large army of whole- time civil defence workers has been under-employed. No one can say how long this state of affairs will last, but at a time when the maximum use of labour for actual fighting -or production is so important it is unsatisfactory to have so large a number of men tied down with little to do. The Government have rightly decided that some of them must be released for war industry. As Mr. Morrison points out, the time has come to replace defensive thinking by an offensive will to victory, and we cannot expect to obtain complete immunity from danger for the civil population. Accoidingly, one-third of the whole-time civil defence workers are to be released and about one-sixth of the National Fire Service. The men and women withdrawn will still be required to undertake defence work in the event of raids, and their services will thus be available for the protection of the community, the gap al by their withdrawal being filled by persons directed by Minister of Labour to give part-time services. For those remain in the civil defence services—and their number will still very great—temporary employment will be found from time to in certain special war-time industries or on special ad hoc ' Many civil defence workers have been chafing under enforced pe of comparative idleness, and will welcome the new arrangement is necessary to recognise that the civilian population can only ensured up to a certain point against air-raid dangers. One must be balanced against another.
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