AERIAL DEFENCES NEW MACINOT LINE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 250, 22 October 1938, Page 9

AERIAL DEFENCES NEW MACINOT LINE.

TERRITORIALS' PART. Expansion of Regular Army Needed in Britain. DEFICIENCY IN PERSONNEL. United Press Association. —Copyright. (Received 12 noon.) LONDON", October 21. The Secretary for War, Mr. L. Hore-Belisha, in a speech at Cardiff, said the crisis had shown that the Territorials could man anti-aircraft defences, which were Britain's Maginot Line, within 24 hours, and in many instances, 12 hours. \ The calling-up of anti-aircraft coastal defence units was entirely improvised and an entirely new experience in Britain's military history. The permanent force would remove the time factor, but it would require great expansion of the Regular Army.

Anti-aircraft units totalled 50,000, an increase five-fold in two years. He admitted there was a serious deficiency of highly technically personnel, but training took three years. The omissions o( 20 years could not be rectified in two years.

On the resumption of Parliament on November 1, says the "Daily Telegraph," the Opposition, supported by sections of the Government parties, will fight strenuously for guarantees that rearmament and other defensive measures will be pressed on at the fullest speed.

The political and industrial branches of the labour and Socialist parties will meet next week to formulate details of the Opposition attitude.