BRITISH POLICY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 19, 2 November 1938, Page 5

BRITISH POLICY

FQREIGN AND DOMESTIC NEEDS. THE AIR-RAID PRECAUTIONS. SIR JOHN ANDERSON’S DUTY. (United Press Association--Copyright.) (Received This Day, 11.10 a.m.) LONDON, November 1.

The Prime Minister (Mr Chamberlain) stated in tho House of Commons that it was the Government’s intention to bring tlie Anglo-Italian agreement into force as soon as possible. A motion to that effect would be debated to-morrow,. Mr Chamberlain also announced that in the session a full and comprehensive statement would-be. made on the steps the Government had taken, and was taking, to deal with defence matters. He 'agreed to consider the issue, of, a. White Paper in,,advance, pf the debate. Rising after Mr C. R. Attlee (leader of the-Opposition) in a general debate' on a motion for the adjournment -of the House, Mr Chamberlain answered Mr Attlee regarding the Munich agreement. He condemned the tendency to describe it ,as of democracy or the cause ;<jf 'law ahd brdel’;.* On the contrary, he regarded _it as a step to carry out by discussion between the democracies and totalitarian States an agreed solution of the problem, to which the alternative appeared, to be the use of'forces ■ "v:

Mr Chamberlain said he was not yet in a position to make a fuller statement on the, .proposed guaranteed Joan to Czechosl6VAkia, ; or to add anything respecting the offer. of a. guarantee of the new Czech frontiers. ;

Mr Chamberlain rebuked Mr Attlee for his remarks regarding Dr. Funk’s tour of the Balkans, and said there was room there for both Britain and Germany, and there was surely no necessity for economic warfare. He also twitted Mr Attlee with being too gloomy about the prospects af British trade in China.

The second half of Mr Chamberlain’s speech was devoted to questions arising from the review which the Government has made of the civil and military defences, to see what arrears or deficiencies have been revealed by the recent emergency. AVhile the civil preparations were far from comprehensive or perfect, nevertheless, Mr Chamberlain considered that had they been put to the test they would have worked a great deal better than many supposed. The air-raid precautions had assumed such gigantic proportions that a separate Minister was required to give it his whole attention. 'Sir John Anderson, as Lord Privy Seal, would in fact be Minister of Defence, having direct charge of the air-raid precautions.— British Official Wireless.