BRITAIN IN THE AIR

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 129, 2 June 1936, Page 10

BRITAIN IN THE AIR

ORGANISING INDUSTRY

LORD SWINTON'S SPEECH

In the House of Lords recently Lord Swinton (Secretary for Air) proposed a resolution approving the Government's defence proposals, says the "Manchester Guardian." From whatever standpoint one looked at the Government's proposals, he said, thenfirm hopes based on collective security had no foundation at all unless the forces which made for peace were going to be strong enough to keep the peace of the world. "As we arc strong upholders of that policy." he said, "we cannot be behindhand in our c -itv to play our part." If collects ivily meant anything, surely it nit hat the forces for peace had : to be 5,.-icicntly strong to prevent war. A policy of isolation for this country was not only illusory, it would also be more expensive than the programme which the Government was now putting forward. i Always the Government woulo. strive to get disarmament, but he said with, the most profound conviction that unless the policy now before the House were endorsed the chance of effective disarmament would vanish completely. For each service, if our planning and programme were to be made adequate, three requirements must be met An effective force, objectively considered in size and quality, must be provided in each service, there must be adequate provision of reserves in men and material for each service, and civil industry should be as part ot their plan fully able to turn over to war production on a large scale, whenever occasion should require rapidly and effectively.

BOMB v. BATTLESHIP

Referring to the bomb versus battleship controversy Lord Swinton said that experiments had taken place and were being continued in an endeavour c to arrive at a true solution of the prob- s lem. But so long as other countries t built capital ships unless we court t give a real guarantee that they could be immobilised or destroyed by other 1 means than by capital ships it would bo i & hazard not to build capital ships. j The air forces serving with and co- 1 operating with the navy would have ] to be strengthened. • < The co-operation which the Services j were anxious to give was really not 1 helped by persons who fanned tne I flames of old controversies long since , resolved. The spirit of the three Sev- 1 vices today was a genuine desire to . give and to get the best. ' The new types of aeroplanes in . range, speed, and performance pre- , sented such an entirely different picture from that of a year ago that any . comparison would be perfectly worthless "I hardly know a country m the world," he declared, "which is not extremely anxious to possess itself ol some of them even if it has to wait a considerable time until we are served first" (Hear, hear.) With regard to the problem of defence he pointed to the experiments which were now being carried out in secret Some of the greatest scientists in this country were working wholeheartedly with the Services and wna he Department of Scientific Research, and there would be no "skimping o. money or materials that could possibly afford a chance of solving the defence problems. NEW AIRCRAFT FACTORIES.

Turning to the problem of industrial reoSisltion he said: "There a no doubt about our resources oi om potential resources or our staying power. What is important is that we should be sure that these resources can come into play in time. If that were known I believe it would be the oreatest keeper of the peace. g Lord SwTnton mentioned firms who had agreed to establish on Government Account two great factories for &e making of aircraft. They did no want to enter the aircraft industry, but said at once that they realised that his was a planned scheme; to natonjd emergency and they would gladly do it They had already had allocated to hem the two types of aircraft hey would produce. This be done by turning people off from their ordinary civil work but by creating side by side with it great new factories which would be ready at any moment should emergency warranit to produce on a large scale. When th work was finished the factories would remain the property of the Government They would contain the plant and equipment and could be kept upon a care-and-maintenance Oasis ready in case need should arise again. Plans for this organisation m peace of normal civil industry so that it could quickly fake the strain which Ihe emergency of war would pace upon it were advancing, the action which had been taken being strictly in accordance with plans. The Government's plans and pro- ; | posals were certainly no panic meas- • lives, but they were certainly not ■ more than our plain duty.