Evening star., 1951-03-09
Officials Urge
Candor by U. 5.
On Civil Defense
Maine City Manager
DepIores inadequate
Federal information

Federal information
Lack of adequate information
20 State and local officials from
The Federal Government is result
ing in a terrible handicap in civil
defense organization" the Ameri-
:an Society of Public Administra-
ton was told today.
Opening a three-day convention
at the Hotel Statler, the society
was told by Lyman S. Moore, city
manager of Portland, Me-, that
secrecy on the facts of the pres
ent emergency by the Federal
Government will be a serious
handicap to effective preparation
Tor emergency and war until the
void can be filled, at least for re-
Sponsible State and local officials.
The speaker noted that the
element of calculated risk in
civil defense preparation" is of
great Importance. Local officials,
however, are told only whether
or not they are in a critical target
area, he said.
Finds Persuasion Hard.
I'VE are stimulated to expedite
the organization of a warden serv-
ice, even though we may question
Sharply the likelihood that our
community will be selected for
enemy attack in the early months
OF any future war;" he said.
My community will not be
persuaded easily to sacrifice
schools and drainage-also direct.
ly related to preparation for
emergency-for bomb shelters in
the absence of any more compell-
Ing information than Is available
to us now"
The speaker observed that only
the highest level of Federal au-
thority has the facts, and it is
only from this level of Federal
authority that the people will ac-
cept the facts and act on them"
Local officials command the
support of the people, he said.
but 1t is clear that both facts
and salesmanship are required.
and the facts must come from
national sources"
DR.. James c. Charlesworth Of
the University of PENNSYLVANIA
declared that demands BY the
public on their local officials after
an atomic attack would help an
enemy seeking to destroy Amer
ican industry.
Sees Irresistible Pressure.
II don't see how any municipal
Official could resist the pressure
to divert every government sery-
Ice to the care of people who are
hurt or frightened" he said. "The
American public. not Injured to
suffering, would not consent to
endure their wounds unaided In
order to allow governmental
agencies to aid the restoration Of
munitions and power production
and essential industrial trans
portation.
If, when the active, total war
does come. the chief objective Of
the enemy bomb attack is to de-
stroy our industrial capacity, it
seems likely that his purpose will
be facilitated by our disposition
to restore human beings first and
Industrial plants second"
DR.. Charlesworth argued that.
in times of danger, the function
OF State governments would be
diminished and that Federal au-
thorities would deal directly with
municipal and local officials.
Calls for More Candor.
If we are to bypass the State
when the blow falls" he added,
I'VE should start practicing right
now for the best method of by
passing the State. In this con-
nection I believe that we all
would appreciate greater candor
in our civil defense negotia-
tions."
The session, devoted to the sub
ject of cities and States in the
present emergency. also heard
Fred A. Schuckman of the Amer
ican Municipal Association say
that State and county govern
mentS are the weak link in civil
defense development" while larger
municipalities are taking the lead.
The main difficulty, he said, is
general reluctance by State gov
ernmentS to appropriate the
money and a vague relationship
which exists between the States
and local governments. Federal
leadership, he added, shows
progress although "slow in start.
ing and fuzzy in spots"
Emergency measures such as
were taken in 1941 to meet the
acute needs of World War II
should not be duplicated today be-
cause the present emergency may
endure Tor many years, according
to York Willbern, of the Univer-
sity of Alabama.
Added Fiscal Stress Seen.
People will not accept the con-
struction of shoddy housing and
inadequate school facilities today
as they did at the beginning of the
last war on a temporary basis, he
declared.
Mr.. Willbern predicted that "the
fiscal stress on State and local
communities may be greater in
the next five years than ever in
history because the present emer-
gency. while requiring heavy ex-
penses. does not rule out normal
improvement programs, as is the
case under actual wartime condi-
tions." The solution to the prob
lem. he said. must be found in
greater Federal contributions to
local budgets.
Devers to Address Club
Gor Toool> D.,~.. %Y-.LL