EXPENDITURE BY BRITAIN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 130, 17 March 1950, Page 3

EXPENDITURE BY BRITAIN

CRITICISM EXPECTED . IN COMMONS 5 .'- , ' A DEFENCE COSTS AN ISSUE - (NrZ.P.A.—Copyright) LONDON, March 16. v Britain's Labour Government is : to-day facing its fourth challenge within a week, after - surviving three test votes in the v House of ; Commons. Although the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Churchill) is expected to make a forthright attack on the Government’s spending policy, the Opposition will not push their criticisms to a division.: However, a rebel pacifist Labour member, Mr Ebrys Hughes, has put forward an amendment expressing regret at the increased spending on the armed forces at a time “when the discovery of the atom bomb and the hydrogen bomb has reA r olutionised modern warfare.” So far,,the amendment has no other backer. In the first three crucial divisions of the new Parliament, the Government, with its overall majority of six seats, secured margins of 14 votes on steel nationalisation, 25 on housing, and 19 on the issue of its alleged extravagance. Mr Attlee will to-day move for approval of the proposed outlay of £780,000,000 on defence next year. This is an increase of £21,000,000 compared with the previous year.

Mr Churchill’s main criticism is likely to be that Britain is not getting full value for the huge sums she is spending on her fighting service's. *\ The Minister of Defence (Mr Emanuel Shinwell) will be ,asked to explain, more fully the apparent, contradiction between the £21,000,000 increase and the Government’s decision, dui'ing the devaluation crisis, to reduce defence spending by £30,000,000 in a full year. The Government defence statement last! week, attributed the difference partly to the higher cost of equipment. Before to-day’s debate, Mr Attlee is scheduled to answer questions about atomic energy and the hydrogen bomb. . A Labour member, Mr Raymond Blackburn, who is a Parliamentary authoi'ity on scientific questions, has asked what proposals Mr Attlee has received from the'United States Government on atomic energy .and the hydrogen bomb project, and what arrangements he has made for consultations with President TrumafL Mr Blackburn also asked what decision the Government had taken about research on and development of the hydrogen bomb.