DEFENCE SERVICES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 108, 18 February 1936, Page 5

DEFENCE SERVICES

THE SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES OVER £7,800,000 IN BRITAIN. MORE PERSONNEL FOR NAVY. (United Press Association —Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 17. The Supplementary Estimates for the defence services have been issued as follows: £ Navv 4,850,000 Army 1,350,000 Air services 1,611,000 The Navy estimate is due to 3500 additional personnel being required, the revised estimate of numbers of officers, seamen and boys, and Royal Marines on his Majesty’s ships, ships at the Royal Marine division and at the Royal Air Force establishments now being 97,882. The Army estimates are due to special measures taken in connection with the Italo-Abyssinian dispute, restoration of' the remainder of the emergency abatements from remuneration pay, etc., and for the Singapore defences. The net total is reduced by £400,000, representing the Army’s share of the Jubilee gift of the Sultan and State of Johore. The extra air services estimate is also mainly for expenditure consequent upon special measures taken in connection with the Italo-Abyssinian dispute. Additional expenditure on Royal Air Force expansion accounts for £604,000. THE NEED FOR CO-ORDINATION. COMMENT ON THE DEBATE. t LONDON, February 15. , The debate in the House? of Commons on the proposal for the creation of a Ministry of Defence is subject to editorial comment to-day. In the opinion of “The Daily Telegraph” the whole tenor of the debate was in favour of a radical change, though on the forms it should take opinion -differed widely. All writers recognise that the urgency of levision of ideas on the general strategy of defence and co-ordination of the aim of the three fighting services arises from the unknown potentialities of air warfare. It is also generally admitted that the deep public interest in the problem at present is due to concern that any expenditure now incurred shall not be wasted.

The House of Commons in particular, as “The Times” says, will have to bear the responsibility for a very large expenditure upon making good the deficiencies of the past in light of the new difficulties of the present. Debate, however, showed that there is far less alarm at the projected total of expenditure than at the possibility of waste in the sense that money misdirected will buy neither efficiency nor security. “The Times” considers that the speeches yesterday proved there is a measure of concurrence, completely covering establishment of defence organisation calculated to secure what Major Attlee (leader of the Opposition) called unity of supreme direction, unity of plan, and unity of outlook. “The Times” believes that, the debate should prove an excellent starting point for a new defence programme carrying with it general consent and confidence. —British Official Wireless.