Evening star., 1951-05-24

NC dUcQudle dlI-Idlu SIlGltSI
program can get started until
public funds are made available
to owners of private buildings for
construction, a statement of the
American Institute of Architects
said today.
Edmund r. Purvis, executive
director of the institute, blamed
the lack of a workable plan to
provide shelter facilities in pri-
vately-owned buildings for the
failure to get the civil defense
shelter program under way.
Commenting on the first civil
defense appropriation bill. Mr..
Purvis noted that no funds were
provided for shelter construction.
He explained that large public
shelters for which the Federal
Government can contribute one
half the cost under present policy,
have proved impractical.
"So-called dual-purpose shell
ters have failed to pass critical
examination by experts in Los
Angeles, Chicago, New York.
Boston and other big cities" he
declared.
Big Shelters Impractical.
Bomb shelters can't be used
part of the time for garages, nor
can they be self-liquidating. Big
shelters, however designed, are
impractical because of the short
warning period defense authorities
assume"
Federal civil defense authorities
have announced that no more
than S minutes warning before
an attack can be counted on by
local officials.
Mr.. Purvis declared that ar
chitectural experts have concluded
that -the-spot shelter" will
have to be provided in Offices,
homes, factories, schools, hos
pitfalls and other places that peo-
pile may be. Generally such shelter
will take the form of protective
construction and reinforcing of
existing buildings, although some
new shelter facilities may be de-
sirable."
1t is understandable, he added,
that building owners have shown
themselves reluctant to undertake
such work at their own expense" :"
Until public policy is clarified to
permit this type of financial help,
Mr.. Purvis asserted, nothing will
be done to provide the only fast
and economical form of shelter
any one has yet devised"
Fondahl Is Sworn In.
Meanwhile, Police Inspector
John E. Fondahl was sworn in
today as the Districts civil de-
fense director at ceremonies at the
District Building. He had been
serving as acting director since the
District office was set up last Sep
tember.
The Commissioners made the
appointment Tuesday after Con-
gress passed a special law per-
mitting Inspector Fondahl to ac-
.cept the post without losing 81
years seniority and retirement
benefits with the Police Depart
ment. The directors job pays
$4,000 year.
In another development yester-
day, il was announced that the
District has bought 20 monitoring
instruments to test the amount of
Pathological contamination after
an atomic attack. In addition,
three low level" instruments are
being obtained for training pur-
poses, it was said.
$50 Needed for Training.
Dr.. Daniel L. Seckinger, District
health officer and deputy director
of civil defense medical and
health services. said that $50 men
are needed for training with the
monitoring instruments. Immedi-
ately after an attack on the city,
they would go into devastated
areas to measure the amount of
radioactivity present and deter
mine if the area may be safely
entered by other defense workers.
Volunteers for the service must
be college graduates or have AMI
equivalent education, it was said.
They should be physically fit,l