ARMAMENT RACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1935, Page 9

ARMAMENT RACE.

WORLD EXPENDITURE. 1934 Costs Three Times Higher Than 1913. £2,500,000,000 SPENT. (United T.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 9.30 a.m.) BERLIN, March 22. The world's armament expenditure in 1934 was .€2,500,000,000, over three times that of 1913, and double that of 1929, says an official of the German Institute for Business Research. While the world trade turnover decreased 4 per cent the armament trade increased 12 per cent despite a drop in armament costs.

He adds that former customers strikingly developed their own armament production. Russia, who took 57 per cent of aeroplanes from abroad in 1928, was now supplying her own needs and had quadrupled the output in four years. Many others, including South Africa and Australia were seeking to provide their own needs.

FRENCH PREPARATION War Minister's View of German Strength. RUSH TO BUILD AEROPLANES. PARIS, March 22. The Minister of War, General Maurin, told the Army Commission of the Chamber of Deputies that the German Army shortly would number 720,000 men, and that 70 per cent of the factories in Germany were making war material.

The construction of nmclrine-guns continued night and day in four shifts The synthetic petrol factories had been all recently enlarged and were turning out the maximum, and huge stocks of war stores were being formed.

Moreover, said the Minister, Germany was turning out 15 aeroplanes a day.

General Maurin declared that France must keep 200,000 men constantly with the colours. He promised to develop motorised formations, and to intensify the manufacture of armaments. This would involve increased Estimates in 1935 and subsequently.

According to a deputy, General Maurin gave details of the French preparations to meet the situation. He said contingents were occupying the principal strategic points of the frontier defence scheme. Troops had been drawn for that purpose partly from the interior garrisons and partly from the frontier, where a watch was no longer necessary owing to the international situation. The Paris correspondent of the "Daily Mail" states that warplane factories are working at to]) speed in France following the Air Commission's approval of the Government's plans to increase the country's air strength. Already £28,000,000 have been spent under the three years' plan of the Air Minister, General Denain, to renovate the Air Force by the end of 1030. Now an additional siim of £22,000,000 is to be spent to enable' the plan to be completed by the end of 1935.

This expencliti%3 will provide between 4000 and JJOOO fighters and bombers.

ITALIAN ARMY. DURATION OF SERVICE. ROME, March 22. General Baistrocchi, speaking on the Italian Army Estimates, said the Government had decided to reduce the period of military service. The only question was when the time would be propitious. The present moment was unsuitable for either a reduction of service or dispersing the classes.

This is interpreted as meaning that the 1913 class will be retained with the colours, while the 1014 class is to be called up within a few days. As a result, 440,000 men will bo mobilised within a year.