PEACE POLICIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 68, 22 March 1938, Page 7

PEACE POLICIES.

THREE METHODS.

Protests Against " Pie-Crust

Promises."

£6200 A MINUTE ON ASMS

LOXDOX, March 18.

Protests against purchasing peace by "pie-crust promises," form the core of the tremendous Labour peace and security campaign now sweeping Britain. The defence organiser, Sir Thomas Inskip, defines the Government policy as peace by personal contacts and purity of intentions, not forgetting the moral effect of almost terrifying armaments. The German recipe is peace by Press control. Berlin seeks bi-lateral Press treaties, or what might be called newspaper non-aggress ion pacts. Labourites at hundreds of meetings put the argument that, under Labour in 1931, the world spent only £1500 a. niiiiuta on arm*. This has now grown to £0200 a minute, compared with £1100 in 191* They say that Labour means peace, j and peace means more money for human welfare. However, as they do not trust Italian, German or Japanese promisee, presumably they believe in keeping tneir powder dry. Sir Thomas Inskip told his constitu- | cuts: "Though I wouldn't say that everything Hitler and Mussolini have ! done in the past has pleased me, I believe that far from a danger of contamination, there is something in these men which will respond to our conversations." Press Discipline. The German Foreign Minister, Herr von Kibbentrop, has been telling Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Halifax that agreements preventing irresponsible journalists sabotaging peace are just as easy as international conventions against cocaine smuggling and white slavery. He points to the Austro-German and Germano-Polish Press pacts and to the gentlemen's Press agreement with Yugoslavia. He also points out that the German Press is disciplined. There seems no prospect of securing the Nazi kind of discipline in Britain. New Pacific Moves. Commonwealth Ministers who will come to London will have most interesting talks about the new defence position possibly arising from the Indian Federation. According to Lord Lothian, India is now bound to seeuix control of her own defence and foreign policy. British air estimates do not suggest any weakening of her hold on the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The most significant item is £8000 for a landing ground at Jesselton, in Xorth Borneo. This foreshadows important developments in the region between Singapore and Australia. A total of £1,181,000 has been provided for two new air stations and extensions at Hongkong; £.335,000 for a new station at Trincomalee, in Ceylon; and £245,000 for aerial extensions at Aden. The biggest item is £3,942,000 for Singapore. The Mediterranean has not been overlooked, since £847,000 is provided for accommodating extra units a-t Malta, and there is £112,000 for Gibraltar. Amman, in Transjordania, will have £100,000 spent on air defence.