DISARMAMENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 91, 27 January 1934, Page 5

DISARMAMENT

CABINET COMMITTEE, MEETS. THE PRIME MINISTER PRESIDES. LAST BEFORE REASSEMBLY. (United Press Association—Copyright). (Received This Day, 11.40 a.m.). LONDON, January 26. A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Disarmament, over which, tiie Prime Minister presided, was held at Downing Street. The meeting will be the last to be held prior to the reassembly of Parliament. Notice has been given of questions relating to disarmament and other current international matters, which will be answered at Monday’s session of the House of Commons. THE BELGIAN FRONTIER. i RE-EQUIPMENT OF THE ARMY. BRUSSELS, January 25. * “Belgium must re-arm,” declares M. de Veze, Minister of Defence, who has been inspecting the eastern frontier, where, he asserts, the defensive action must start in order that Belgium’s allies shall be given a chance to come into action.

Two-thirds of the Budget vote of £6,465,000 should be spent on reequipping the Army with more and heavier artillery, more machine-guns, aeroplanes, mechanical transport units and gas masks, he said, while the remaining third of. the defence expenditure should be allotted to the construction of permament fortifications.

AMERICAN NAVY BILL. PUBLIC MIND CHANGES. WASHINGTON, January 25. Mr Carl Vinson’s Naval Construction Bill, carrying appropriations of 470,000,000 dollars, designed to bring the United States Nayy up to full Treaty strength through the construction of over 100 vessels, progressed rapidly before Congress to-day. The House of Representatives will probably vote on it to-morrow under a special rule. Observers are of opinion that Presidential support of the measure, added to the unrest in the Far East, with Japan preparing to ask naval parity with America and Britain in 1935, ensures enactment of the Bill.

Noting the rapid change in American public opinion, it was pointed out here that a year ago the Navy League, the leading proponent of a big navy, advocated a compromise programme, fearing that the public and Congress would not accept a vast building programme. Now Congress is rushing to exceed the league’s greatest demands.

"WINNER TAKES ALL.” NO battle second prizes. (Received This Day, 1.5'5 p.m.) WASHINGTON, January ‘26. The “big navy” talk was continued at full blast to-day. Mr Henry Roosevelt, Assistant-Sec-retary to the Navy and a kinsman of the President, in a public address declared “If I am for a navy second to none within Treaty commitments, a navy built to the last rivet and the last gun, and manned to the last seaman and marine,This is not because I want war. It is because I want to avoid war, but there is no such thing as a second prize in battle. The winner takes all.” POLAND’S PROGRAMME. WARSHIPS ORDERED. WARSAW, January 25. The Government of Poland, in presenting the Budget, wherein the War Ministry estimates are 35 per cent, of the total, says: “The Disarmament Conference is practically wrecked, making a further reduction in. war estimates impossible.” It was announced that the Government intended to build two destroyers, two mine-sweepers and three submarines. The military estimates are reduced by £2,170,000, equal to 7\ per cent. MUNITION WORKS BUSY.

ORDERS FOR .MID-EUROPE. PRAGUE, January 25. The Brunm munition works have taken on 1000 additional hands. The authorities admit they have received orders worth £1,000,000 from one Asiatic country (presumably Japan) and avo South American Governments.