Bay of Plenty Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd., 1937 PREMIUM FOR PEACE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12258, 23 February 1937, Page 2

Bay of Plenty Times. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd., 1937 PREMIUM FOR PEACE

Britain’s Five ' Year rearmament plant will cost the nation approximately £1.500,000.000, and that is not all the cost, for all the self <rovernin<r Dominions are spending millions also, so that the aggregate expenditure by the British Empire cannot fall far short of £2,000,000,000. This is a huge sum but with the present world unrest we must look upon it as the premium for peace. The Great ’War was to.end war, and make the world safe for demcu cracy. Throughout the post-war years and until about the time Hitler became Dictator of Germany, “disarmament” was on the lips of statesmen, and the agenda of the League of Nations, year after year, featured disarmament, and every now and again we were buoyed up with hopes of progress being made in the direction of disarmament. Britain made a definite peace gesture by reducing her forces and armaments to below the safety level, and boasted about her contribution to disarmament. To-day Britain is feverishly rearming, and the outstanding topics throughout the world arc battleships, big guns and bombers. It is a truism that Britain has been .forced into this armament race. The wool was pulled from her eyes by Mussolini in 1935, when Britain realised her weakness for defence and offence. Hitler started to restore the military machine of Germany early in 1934, and in secret. Britain could not remain passive and indifferent, and now she is determined to put herself in the position she is fitted by nature to occupy, that is leadership in the world and the guardian of world peace. .Britain has joined in the armament race after the others had secured a more or less long start, but as the First Lord of the Admiralty (Sir Samuel Hoare) said recently “Let them remember that when we put our hands to a great task, we are • willing to make great sacrifices. /though we might be slow in starting we arc remarkable for our way of eventually reaching the. winning post.” The nations are beginning to realise and particularly Germany, Italy and Japan, Unit “twisting'the lion’s tail” is a dangerous task. These nations have suddenly changed their tune, and now express a desire to be friendly with Britain. In every part of the British Empire the xtrgent need for strengthening the defences is fully recognised. Canada, South Africa and Australia, are spending monej - on defence programmes, and this is as it should be for we cannot expect Britain to stand the brunt of it all. We must realise with Sir Samuel Hoare that “a great Empire that is also weak is a menace to stability, and a temptation to an aggressor.” Britain’s activity is calculated to change the outlook of Germany and Italy. There will be no wax", at least this year, unless Germany believes that it would be a gooil move to start a campaign while Britain is still un- ' prepared. However,-the next lew months should clarify the position.