DEFENCE MEASURES

Evening Star, Issue 23180, 1 February 1939, Page 9

DEFENCE MEASURES

BRITAIN'S GREAT MORAL STRENGTH VITAL ISSUES AT STAKE (British Official Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. RUGBY, January 30. Earl de la AVarr, Leader of the House of Lords, speaking at Derby, said that, except for the growing strength of our defences, there could be few reasons for expecting any relief from our anxieties in the coming year. The Government was driving ahead with its rearmament programme. In regard to the evacuation side of the defence measures, he hoped the first steps of the scheme concerned with billeting would be completed within a

month, but billeting was not without difficulties, and it was doubtful even from a preliminary survey whether it would b© entirely adequate. Camps were, therefore, under active construction in order to supplement efforts in that direction. The state of our armed forces must remain the prevailing question, but arms alone were not enough. This country’s strength was her moral strength, and without it she could never believe in herself nor make others believe in her. Realism that failed to recognise this fundamental fact was based on sheer delusion. We had deliberately chosen a voluntary basis for mobilising our resources. All the more necessary, therefore, was it that all of us should realise that we' were preparing to defend not only our possessessions, or even our security, but freedom and the rule of law between nations. “ Our cause is right. If we are forced into war, we will fight it as a crusade.”