FURTHER DETAILS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 41, 18 February 1937, Page 9

FURTHER DETAILS

THE WHITE PAPER

COST THIS YEAR

ABOUT £188,000,000

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received February 18, 11.50 a.m.)

RUGBY, February 17.

Newspapers state that the forecast of an average expenditure of £300,000,000 annually over the next five years, disclosed in the White

Paper, came as a surprise to members of Parliament, who eagerly scanned the document in the lobbies last night. In the current financial year the expenditure on defence will cost about £138,000,000. Of the estimated total of £1,500,000,000 the Gov-

ernment is seeking authority to borrow up to £400,000,000.

Heavy expenditure will be incurred in modernising existing cruisers as well as battleships, and the Fleet air arm is to be substantially augmented. The main increase in the cost of the regular army would be for modernisation of equipment of all branches of the service. This includes acceleration of the process of mechanisation, and provision is being made for the accumulation of immense reserves of ammunition to cover the first months before productive capacity can be increased. The intention to improve ultimately the equipment of the Territorial Army in the same way is also announced. The creation of two new infantry battalions and one new tank battalion is provided for.

The White Paper stresses that Britain I has become increasingly vulnerable to air attack, and adds that the strength of the Royal Air Force has become a matter of paramount importance and no effort has been far is being spared to bring it up to the strength and standard of efficiency which the Government deems requisite for safety. It is noted that the man-power of the force has increased from 31.000 in 1934 to more than 50,000 in 1936, and it is announced that a further large increase is contemplated in the coming financial year. The present first-line strength of the Metropolitan Air Force is about 1000, as compared with 580. when the expansion was begun, and the provision in the Estimates of the current year for aeroplanes and spares was £19,600,000, as compared with an average in pre-expansion years of about, £6,000,000. A further 750 firstline aircraft are required for the home force, an additional 185 for overseas units, and 250 more for the Fleet air arm.

PROVISION FOR RESERVES,

The White Paper states that in addition to first-line machines sufficient reserves must be obtained to ensure that the first-line strength can be adequately maintained on active service.

Steps are also being taken to build up what has become known as the war potential. In the aircraft industry, over and above the expansion of the capacity of existing aircraft firms, steps have been taken to build shadow aircraft factories. The same principle is being adopted in regard to the supply of other types of munitions.

With regard to the provision of antiaircraft defence, it is stated that new and more effective types of guns are being made, together with large numbers of searchlights and other equipment, and reserves of ammunition are being accumulated. Balloons and equipment for balloon barrages are being manufactured.

Plans are being made to ensure that the organisation for air defence will be' readily adaptable to meet whatever type of air attack this country might be called upon to face.

It is the Government's firm belief that the programme in the form presented in the White Paper is a contribution indispensable to peace and one which it is the .duty of the people of this country to make.