Evening star., 1942-07-22
Lands AssaiIs
Unsatisfactory
D. T.. B|ackout
Wordens Applaud
As OCD Chief Hits
Cooperation Failure

Angry criticism of the Districts
failure to black out satisfactorily
during Mondays surprise air-rald
test was voiced here last night by
Director James M. Lands of the
Office of Civilian Defense.
Dean Lands said that sit takes
consent of between IL and IA differ
ent authorities here to get action" ;"
Because OF the failure of all these
authorities to cooperate during the
test blackout the city wasn't a nice
sight"
Take Union Station as an ex-
ample" he told the group of deputy
raid wardens to whom he spoke.
1.-THE tracks and roundhouses we're
aglare.
"If you were a bombardier, you
could easily have found any point
in the city by locating Union Station.
They didn't black, out because they
were exempted. Who the hell ex-
empted them?"
Wardens Applaud Outburst.
This remark brought an outburst
of applause from the wardens, who
have been demanding stricter en-
forcement of the blackouts.
Dean Lands opened his speech
with the statement that Washington
had gone long way in its AFRAID
precautions, but not far enough
"I was over the city of Washington
at about 1000 feet last night and it
wasn't too nice sight. 1t took II
minutes to get the street lights out.
Spot after spot was slow in ef-
fecting observation. Massachusetts,
avenue near Union Station took a
long time to get the lights out. Ana
costa was blaze of lights. I didn't
feel TOO happy.
"The last blackout here, when
plenty of notice was given, was
pretty good This one didn't come
anywhere near. But these are con-
ditions which you wardens can
correct. There are things here that
worry me more. It takes consent of
between IL and IA authorities here
to get action"
Cites Boulevard Lights.
The Federal OCD director then
cited Union Station as q horrible
example and continued:
There were the lights on the
Mount Vernon boulevard. They
were on during the last blackout.
/ wrote letter to the Interior De-
partment and got a reply from the
fourth assistant secretary. He said
he had taken the matter UP with the
park police and they said the lights
were off.
Il checked with the military OBJ
servers and they said the lights
were not of. I wrote the fourth
assistant secretary again and told
him. Last night, the lights. on the
Mount Vernon boulevard were
still on.
THAT is just cited to show the
conditions you have to put up with
In Washington.
Monday night the airplane warn
ing lights on the radio towers around
the airports were blazing. Maybe
they could put them out if enemy
bornbers were overhead 1t is a
very difficult thing. We don't know
whether they can do it, They don't
know either"
Dean Lands told the wardens that
no city in the country has good
fire watcher organization and said
that such a group was essential
because of the improvement In the
use of incendiary bombs.
Cascade" Alert Fails.
Afraid Warden Chief William j.
Mileham told the deputies that the
cascade system of putting wardens
on the alert had not worked last
night. He said that the system was
perfect" except for the human fac
tor.
AS a remedy, he ordered that al
deputy warden posts be manned "a
hours a day, with sworn warden
near the telephone to receive mes
sages. In addition, he announced
that deputy wardens would be al
lowed to use the telephone to notify
zone wardens, a routine previously
banned because of the heavy load or
the telephone. Zone wardens ther
will notify sector wardens by mes,
sengers.
He announced at the same time
that mercantile establishments will
no longer be allowed to leave lights
on at night, depending on police OF
wardens to turn them off He saic
that the authority by which certain
stores had installed outside switches
to be thrown by civilian defense
workers in case of raid, was to be
rescinded.
At the same time, he announced
that the trouble about street lights,
which were slow going of and SLOW
coming on Monday night, would bt
taken care of before the next test
blackout.
Chief Mileham announced ap.
pointment of Thurston Barlow anc
Crl,,oo Kipp oS assistant air-ra ir