Evening star., 1950-11-22

OHPISPuTSuHeSS Olo
In Report; Absence
Of Check Lists Hit
The Federal Government wa
under fire today from cities al
over the country for failing to pro
vide promised civil defenst
guidance.
Most of the 1877 cities reportine
in a poll taken by the American
Municipal Association said they
are only 10 to Is per cent ready
for an atomic attack and most O.
them blamed it on the Fedora
Government.
Some of them complained thar
Federal authorities had failed tt
tell them whether or not ma.
tional emergency exists. Other!
cited all their unanswered ques.
tions and still others made it cleal
they could go only so far and NJ
further until they knew who wa
going to pay for it.
The association. survey gave tn,
most comprehensive view to dat.
OF the status of civil defense il
American cities. In addition tt
letters from city officials, the sur.
vey carried abstracts of news.
paper reports and data on Stat<
laws.
Summary of Findings
The association gave this sum.
mary of its findings:
Cities are handicapped most
by the absence of a check list
or bill of particulars from the
Federal and State govern
ments. -.
Enthusiasm for civil defense
is hard to create and harder to
sustain. The public is not aroused.
The Federal Government has not
urged immediate action. States
have moved slowly. Consequently
the local governments, which must
rely on Federal and State leader
ship, move at the same tempo as
the higher levels. Even in those
cities where enthusiasm has beer
generated, it is difficult to main
tain the interest of workers.
The extent of financial assist
ance to be provided by Fedora,
and State governments is un-
known. Who is to pay for stock
piled materials? Who will pay fol
mobile units? What equipment i.
needed and who will pay? Civi
defense financing at the loca
level waits on answers to ques.
tions such as these. Many cite.
meanwhile have been spending
1850 funds appropriated ane
donated for civil defense.
Few Set Up Large Funds
TN only few, such as New
York, Milwaukee, Los Angeles ano
San Francisco are the sums SUBJ
stantial. Many cities say they win
make no appropriations until the
Federal and State governments
announce their policies. -.
Rightly or wrongly, local Off.
cials are more critical of Fedora
action or inaction than they ART
of State relations.
Local officials are putting frs
things first. They are making sur.
veys and inventories to determine
resources and needs. Consid.
cradle progress has been made II
both surveys and plans.
Many cities feel that this or.
ganization on paper is well com
pleted; that is, their planning ha'
progressed we'll. But they repor
far less optimistically about thei
readiness to cope with a disaste,
Of the magnitude envisaged b.
atomic warfare. :"
The summary also said that tn,
cities are making plans to assis
each other in an emergency, tina
all of them want to know abou
the organization and financing
plans of the pending Federal leg
islation, that the cities are no
hiring experts for civil defense
but using city department head
and volunteers and that city of
f1cials are aware the real worl
must be done at the local level.
d. C. Situation Sketched.
While there was no letter from
the District included in the sur
vey, there was a brief report OF
Washington's civil defense &C
and 100000 appropriation. TIL,
report noted Washington's civi
defense organization is PARTIAL,
effected and that a police re
serve is being recruited.
Here are some of the views ex
pressed by city officials on tn
Federal civil defense organization
Hartford CONN., City Manage
C. F. Sharpe-Frankly, I think
is impossible for cities to go out o
a limb further than we have unit
there is a definite agreement 6
the Federal level that an all-ol
effort is required. E. Either thei
is or is not a national emergenc
which calls for an all-out de
fense effort. :.
Kansas City (Kans.) Mayo
Clark e. Tucker-The only infol
nation or assistance which "
have received from Washingto
has been from our Congressma
and the American Municipal A.
sociation.
Tacoma (Wash.) Mayor Joh
III. Anderson-Up to now we ha,
seen no help from either FEEDER;
or State other than general cor
.yersation.
Portsmouth (Va.) Defense CT
ordinator w. T. III. Galliford-Ol
greatest local need is some ind
cation Of the minimum require