Evening star., 1951-02-21
WooIey Report
Rejects Plan for
County Shelters
Co-ordinutor Urges
Goithersburg Center
For Communications

| LII As. SCl1. ~. L NNoSACy, " NJ n.
retired, co-ordinator of civil de-
fense for Montgomery County, re-
ported to the County Council yes
terday that construction of public
air raid shelters would be imprac-
tlcal.
Gen. Wooley told the council
meeting in the Rockville court
house that he agrees with report
made last month to the Maryland
House of Delegates by David G.
Mcintosh, State Director OF
Civil Defense, which recommends
against public shelters.
Survey Volunteered.
Gen. Wooley said the Mont
gomery County Association of Al.
chitects has volunteered" to sur
vey Silver Spring to see which
buildings would make the best
shelters.
"Other volunteer engineers OF
architects may be found to make
similar surveys of buildings in
other townships as, patriotic Oh
civic duty" he declared. adding
that a survey of school buildings
has been given top priority.
The report Gen. Wooley ad-
dressed to the council was also
prepared by E. l.. Foster, director
of civil defense for the county. II
came exactly a week after the
county Democratic organization
complained in a letter to the Re-
publican dominated council that
Montgomery was tagging in civil
defense planning.
Gen. Wooley recommended that
250-watt transmitter, and tele-
phone switchboard, be set up
at Gaithersburg to improve upper
county fire reporting and dis
patch system. The Gaithersburs
dispatch center would be similar
to the one now operated by the
Silver Spring Volunteer Fire De-
partment in coordination with
Takoma Park, Sandy Spring, Ken
sington, Hillandale and Burtons-
vile.
Under the generals plan. the Sill
yer Spring center also would oe
expanded to take in Glen Echo
Cabin John, Chevy Chase and
Bethesda.
The added cost of the new tele-
phone center, he stated, will save
many lives and reduce property
loss and insurance.
AS an example of the present
bottlenecked communication sys-
tenn for reporting fires in the up
per county, Gen. Wooley said that,
in Hyattstown and Damascus, a
citizen must telephone to Freder-
ick in Washington County and
back to a hometown garage and
undertaken, respectively. before a
siren is sounded to alert the fire.
men.
The general disclosed that the
county police department is
launching a campaign this week
to recruit 200 auxiliary policemen
for use in case of emergency
We'll probably need 1000 or
more before we get through" the
civil defense chief added.
Gen. Wooley also said that 24a
block wardens have been ap-
pointed so far. 1t is estimated
that 1000 to 5000 will be needed
Hourly Wages Raised.
The council also: -t
l. Voted to increase wages OF
hourly paid county employees from
to 10 cents an hour instead OF
the fiat 5 cents an hour approved
last week. The Personnel Board
recommended the upward revision
after meeting with most of the
county's 200 hourly-paid workers
who. voiced dissatisfaction with
the scent increase.
1t originally had been planned
to cut the work week of hourly
paid employees from 6 days to 512
the 5-cent-an-hour raise making
up the loss in wages. Cost of living
increases of 5000 annually were
granted to virtually all other
county employees last week, plus
an extra 500 pay adjustment for
policemen.
2. Approved a new Personnel
Board regulation requiring physi-
cal examinations for all future
county employees. The regulation
also requires that all county en-
ployes must undergo chest
X-ray every two years,
8. Appointed Samuel Riggs, ~
81, of Olney. to the position of in
ternal auditor with the Depart
ment of Finance at a starting sal
airy of $500. Mr.. Riggs has been
secretary-treasurer of the Lay
louisville petroleum firm of G. D.
Armstrong Co., Inc, for several
years.
At the same time it was an
nounced that William J. Leizear
35, will resign March 6 as chief of
the division of accounts in the
County Department of Finance.
Mr.. Leizear, who lives at ITO
Hankin street, Silver Spring, will
go to work for the Federal Gov
ernment.
Hearing Set on Dumfries