Evening star., 1938-10-23

(Mr. Henry. a member of the editorial
stat OF The Star was in London and Paris
during the days OF the Czechoslopakian
crisis. This article records some of his
observations OF activities on the "cipilian
'front.' OF modern wartare).
Twenty-four hours of table pounding on
September 1890 forestalled application of
the most extensive and detailed rxans
ever conceived for moving mass civilian
populations.
Sick at the thought, but resigned to
war OF horrible destruction and death
from the air. all Europe prepared to de-
nude its cities Of every person whose occu-
patton was not essential to operation of
the various machineries Of warfare.
In some instances the plans were drafted
openly and broadcast widely in tones OF
reinsurance that what was being done
was merely an extra precaution among
many being taken. In other instances
the plans were drawn quietly, closely
guarded as governments sought to keep
populations in ignorance of the truism
that war is two-sided and that terrorism
and cruelty are not monopoles of one
side or the other
Strategically important and vulnerable
IN its accessibility, London tasted aerial
warfare in l9l4-19l8. But the few hun
dred casualties and the few hundred tons
OF bombs of those years probably would
oe no more than days ration in the
next War-a potentiality which moved the
British government somewhat belatedlv
but with the most complete thorouehness
displayed in any instance to prepare and
puoliclze its plans for evacuation of ci-
villains
Informed by Press and Radio.
BY press and radio, and with a matter
oi-1actness somewhat astounding to those
OF us getting an initial baptism of war
scare at first hand, the British govern
ment told its Londoners how they ex-
pected to move 1000 900 persons from the
city limits to selected rural communities
III TWO working days Special plans were
outilneo Tor the movement of children
ana OF hospital patients and invalids.
On the continent the French govern
ment made similar plans for Paris.
Wnlle Washington's half million of peo.
pie and its vastly more favorable geo.
graphical surroundings leave somewhat
scant grounds for comparison between
emergency conditions in the three capi-
tails, one could not help but wonder while
watching Europe's two greatest cities make
ready just what would be done here in
similar circumstances.
Actually, in the waning DAYS of Sem
tember, particularly just before the Munich
conference was called, hundreds of thou
sands OF persons left both London and
Paris. Although the bulk of these earlv
departures were foreigners, particularly
Americans advised by their embassies to
seek neutral" territory, many were i'll and
Invalid residents, evacuated from hospitals
as the two governments sought to have all
possible casualty facilities available for the
emergency which might break within anv
few hours.
History Of Cases Sent Along.
Where their condition required it these
"emigres" were placed in rural hospitals
or nursing homes. In many instances,
their doctors, requested by their govern
ments to remain in the capitals, where there
might be greatest need for them, dispatched
with their patients full record of their
cases for the guidance of whoever might
attend them in the rural communities,
Probably the most detailed plan of all
was that devised for evacuation and emer.
gency billeting of London's school children
In what was really quite ar. amazing bit
Of last-minute administrative ARRANGING.
the government completed plans for the
housing in the home counties"-rural
areas about so miles outside of London
Of several hundred thousand school chill
dren. Virtually all were to be taken into
private homes in ratio not to exceed one
refugee child for each habitable room Of
the house.
Householders who agreed to take the
children were to be paid los Sd ($2.62)
per week by the government for one child
and IS Sd (s212) per week for each extra
child.
In event Of emergency, the home office
outlined the plan for children as follows: