THREE IN ONE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 69, 22 March 1934, Page 7

THREE IN ONE.

BRITAIN'S SERVICES. DOMINIONS' PART. Unification Not Desired At Present Juncture. machinery or defence. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 21. A comprehensive review of the means whereby co-ordination and cooperation between the three defence Services is effected, "was made in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald, who defended the existing practice in a debate raised by Major Attlee (Lab., Limehouse).

Major Attlee urged that there should be a division between general policy and Departmental administration, and that to deal with the former a Dcfence Minister should be appointed, who would be a Minister of high authority and above the Service Ministers.

Mr. Mac Donald, replying, said that in the transitional period through which the whole of the methods of defence were passing, one of the greatest claims for the present system was that it was flexible and adaptable to changes. If they had a League of Nations that could adequately and safely be described as a system of pooled security, the whole problem of national and Imperial defence would be fundamentally changed, but that time was not yet.

Referring to the nature of the existing organisation of Imperial defence, he said that it could not be- adequate \mless it faced the problems of co-ordination of defence policy, co-ordination of finance, staff co-operation and joint staff training. Cabinet Has Final Word. In regard to these points Cabinet supplied the final Avord, the advisory authority of Cabinet being the Committee of Imperial Defence. The work of this committee went on from day to day, but once every year the Chiefs of Staff presented a report to the committee based in part upon Foreign Office information and covering the whole field of Imperial defence in its minor, as well as major aspects. The recommendations and observations of that report were discussed by the full Committee of Imperial Defence, and then sent to Cabinet, where the body of Ministers was in a position to discuss and deal with it.

That review was always made in time for the Estimates, and revealed a very high state of co-ordination and co-opera-tion. As a result of the co-ordination of expenditure effected, huge sums had been saved.

Finally, the House of Commons received the Estimates, and it could be said that finance and administration went hand in hand in all stages.

Regarding staff co-ordination, the

preparation of the technical side of joint defensive plans so far as operations were concerned was the responsibility of the Chiefs of Staff, who were bound to cooperate and consider plans as a whole.

The advice of the Foreign Office was available for the supply of political data required, and In addition Ministerial committees were always at the service of Chiefs of Staff, and contact was kept with such committees as the Principal Supply Officers Committee, ctc.

What was very important in • this really admirable piece of administrative machinery was that those who planned were those who would be primarily responsible for execution. Co-operation With Dominions. Mr. Mac Donald described how cooperation with the Dominions was secured. He said that they attended the Committee of Imperial Defence for joint counsel and advice to an extent that they themselves might decide. On a number of occasions in recent years particular Dominions had asked for advice of the committee on their defensive problem, and Britain kept fully informed as to what the Dominions were doing. The defence policy itself had to be worked out in relation to this country s position as a world Power and a European Power, and having regard to Imperial unity. The air Service for home defence was in its infancy, and for next few years the Navy was of vital importance as part of Imperial defence and a fleet air arm was essential to the modern Navy. . He assured "fclie House tliat nava programme was strictly within the limits of the treaty. He recalled tliat those who took part in the London nava treaty were informed that in accepting the figures Britain would have no margin by 1035-36 and would have to assume every ton they had said they required would be needed. The Government was considering armaments not against any other Power but in relation to its own defensive and protective needs. That was why t icy still believed in treaty agreements.

Mr. Mac Donald observed that behind the defenco policy was political policy, diplomacy and foreign policy. Ihe ann of the Government was peace, and peace could only bo based upon international co-operation. The aim of every nation to-day must be to pursue and develop peace, not only as regarded itself but as regarded the whole community o nations, and that was what the Government was doing. The League of Nations properly used was the only organisation m existence to secure peace, and the Governmen , therefore, would do everything possible to restore and maintain its autliori j. Britain's measures of Imperial defence were to enable her to secure peace, an as such they were recognised by tne whole world.