The speaker dealt with the importance of maintaining production at the plant, involving the safety of the structures and machinery and the safety of the personnel. This involved an explanation of the design of buildings and protective devices to cope with these extraordinary conditions. Protection from direct hits by high explosive bombs, he pointed out, is economically impossible but he gave details of protective devices and air raid shelters. In cases where the number of the staff is too large for the number of indoor shelters available, the construction of trenches or galleries and underground shelters outdoors should be undertaken.
While concentrating largely on the material side, he mentioned the personal side. As the local authorities will be fully occupied decontaminating streets and small private plants after a gas raid, every plant of any size should have a squad of men specially trained for this work to be distinct from the works fire brigade, whose services may be required elsewhere at the same time.
Better to be Prepared Concluding, the speaker said it must be remembered that it has been seriously propounded on many occasions during the past few years that the next war will commence, not with a formal declaration of war, but by the presence of enemy aeroplanes dropping bombs over the capital, The events of the last few months, however, appear to indicate that the realization of the deadlines of modern warfare is sufficient to ensure at least a period during which negotiations to avoid war will take place. Nevertheless, it is obviously better to have precautionary measures fully worked out, and material obtained and stored rather than to wait until war is imminent when the dif-culties of obtaining labour and ma terials will render it impossible to arrange effective protection.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.