LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. Signed letters are given a preference over those bearing a pseudonym, and the latter must be accompanied by the name and address of the author, which will be treated as confidential.—Ed. THE SPECTATOR] THE GREAT EVACUATION SIR,—Mr. Herbert Morrison, M.P., is reported as feeling that the London County Council has done a first-class job of work. No descriptive list was sent with the children, nor had teachers or helpers been prepared to give all necessary infor- mation, though some were able and willing to give some help. Therefore verminous or mentally defective children were not detected as such until they arrived at billets. The women who say they were told to do nothing for themselves or their children may not be truthful, but there is no indication that they were told to be helpful. The " helpers " are officially declared not to be required to help. They seem to be spies or task-masters whose duty is to extract the last ounce of drudgery at the billets. No arrangements were made to send to the billets, when fixed, such necessaries as the children could not take with them—notably clothing. Difficulties are admitted, but they were not surmounted, and this self-satis- faction is annoying.
According to the same report, Mr. Morrison feels that the removal of difficulties is now primarily the concern of the Government and the local authorities. Apparently he feels no responsibility for extracting from parents the clothing which many children need. Why should the hosts have to write letters, which are often not answered? Why should London shunt these children on to the charity of the country- side?
Will the Billeting Officer of Heyshott give chapter and verse for his references to the " published regulations "? Our authorities deny that they have received information about getting clothes from the Relieving Officer. Perhaps the Hey- shott evacuees are not the fruits of the London County Council's "first-class job." Our authorities also say that in emergency (of which they are the judges) they can compel householders to take unaccompanied children, and have done so. They are not, in my judgement, deaf, illiterate, or of Sta,—I cited Hitler as the type of many of our billeting officers, and, true to that type, T. L. Poulton manifests that very hysteria which imputes to his critics his own defections. He (or she) calls me blind, illiterate and a liar—in the true Hitler style.
But for this it would be unnecessary for me to reply to his outbreak, for the billeting scheme is now so thoroughly dis- credited as to be admitted a failure even by its own progenitors.
T. L. Poulton is, of course, not the first person to demon- strate ignorance of the law he administers, but your readers will have noted that his reply to my letter is quite inaccurate in law. If he read the Emergency Powers Act he would see that not only is it legal to billet unaccompanied children, but the power is exercised under penalty for refusal (and these words are printed on our local Council's notice to house- holders). So arbitrary is the tyranny that two children here were thrust into the little home of two old folk both over 80.
T. L. Poulton is equally ignorant of the fact that under the same Act not only is it legal to force entry upon furnished houses, but that many have already been commandeered.
The three instances cited by me are actual cases and mild ones. Further, each has many, and worse, counterparts in this area under my review. The economic hardship becomes worse as prices rise and the ridiculously small allowance therefore contracts. The lack of clothing is being inadequately met by cast-offs collected in charity.
If T. L. Poulton admits that these resentful recipients of r.acuees are, indeed, " victims " of Chamberlain, Hoare and Anderson he does injustice to Greenwood and Herbert Morri- s ,n, who, at the beginning of what is now proved a hopeless fdthire, claimed wings and a halo for inaugurating the outrage upon the countryside. Morrison takes credit for being an
expert administrator. He had one year's notice that Hitler was likely to bomb London. We had if millions of un- employed during that time who could have built the chalet camps now generally admitted as necessary. But so " expert " was the " administration " that all the expensive Health Services of London failed even to delouse or isolate the diseased among the avalanche of unfortunate humanity that was wantonly poured out upon the equally unfortunate country folk.
I do not, therefore, share T. L. Poulton's admiration for his self-denying neighbours. A more intelligent civic sense in such people would have engendered a more efficient adminis- tration. Loose good-nature is the refuge of bad government. I deplore, with T. L. Poulton, my enforced anonymity, but Nazi methods evoke appropriate reactions. Before the Emergency Powers Act I was a proud ratepayer. Now sheer dread of local Hitlerism makes me sign myself.—A Viertm.
Snt,—Your leading article on September 29th was well named " Evacuation Errors " because it was full of errors about evacuation. Let me draw your attention to one of these errors which calls for an apology from you to thousands of men and women who are doing good work at a difficult job. You say that the nation would not be willing " to leave hundreds of thousands of children to be brought up in a higgledy-piggledy way in the houses of strangers, without either substantial schooling or any adequate provi- sion for their leisure." But the evacuated children in my house are not being brought up in a higgledy-piggledy way, and I hope that I am one of many writing to you this week to protest against such an unmannerly description of the national service being done by our wives.
Then you say that the children are without substantial schooling. Everyone knows that the problem of education in reception areas is difficult, but your description of it is an insult to the teachers who are putting some very substantial work into an unprecedented task.
You say, again, that the children are without any adequate provision for their leisure. Do you not know that the Government asked local authorities to set up special com- mittees to deal with such matters as leisure occupations and communal feeding? Evidently you do not, or you would not at this stage have come out with your stale advice about canteens. Here also you are due with an apology, both to the Government officials who did give a lead on these subjects months ago and to the people who have been hard at work [We need hardly say that we did not reflect upon the splendid efforts which individuals are making to cope with the difficulties. It was the system of which we were writing, its breakdown and the need for amending it.—En. The Spectator.]
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