GERMAN ARMY

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 July 1936, Page 7

GERMAN ARMY

800 MILLIONS EXPENDITURE.

[BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.]

ItUGBY. July 20.

The Foreign Secretary explained, at Commons' question time, that the Italian Government was recently invited by the Belgian Government to •take part in the conversations with the British, French, and Belgian Governments. The Italian Government declined'. It is known, however, that the Italian and German Governments have been, and will be kept informed, with regard to the proposed ThreePower meeting.

Mr Churchill asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Commons, if he was aware that the expenditure by Germany on purposes directly or indirectly concerned with military preparations, including strategic roads, might have amounted lo £800.000,060 during 1935, and whether this rate of expenditure seemed to be continuing. Mr Neville Chamberlain replied that the Government had no official figures, but from the information they had, he saw no reason to think that the figure mentioned by Mr Churchill was necessarily excessive, although there were elements of conjecture.

GARRISONS IN RHINELAND

[by cable —press assn. —copyright.]

LONDON, July 20

Signs are not lacking of Germany’s increasing military powers and significance. The “Daily Herald” reports that the garrisons on the left bank of the Rhine will be considerably reinforced after an inspection of the Rhineland and the Palatinate by General Werner von Blomberg (Minister for Defence). A Rhineland newspaper, in announcing the plaqs foi- reinforcement, declares that France will realise that the province is no longer a “No man's land." The “Daily Herald” points out that not only are pre-war garrison towns reoccupied, but. also smaller towns, never before garrisoned. Germany is spending .£24,000,000 on railway reconstruction, designed to speed up communication between south-west-ern Germany and the French and Luxemburg frontiers. A big military aerodrome is being constructed at Enheim, which is less than three miles from the French frontier.

AUSTRIAN COOPERATION

LONDON, July 20

The Vienna correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” says that although Germany denies that Austria has signed a secret, military treaty with Germany, it is certain that military preparations are being co-ordinated between the two countries and commissions are conferring at both Vienna, and Berlin on the subject of details of the new agreement. A separate commission is discussing army co-ordination. The Vienna newspapers boast that Austria and Germany are working together, that Italy is co-operating with them, and that the Little Entente is collapsing. Jugoslavia is friendly toward Germany. Rumania is looking toward Germany, and even Czechoslovakia seeks friendly relations with Germany, Poland has long been Germany’s friend, and Hungary bases her foreign policy on friendship with the Reich. DANZIG I) IS SE N SIGNS LONDON. July 20. The Danzig correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph" says the coup of Hein- Greiser is apparently a derisory gesture toward Poland and has caused renewed tension. It makes a political complaint, to Mr. Sean Lester a criminal offence. Herr A. Forster, declared that Mr. Lester’s activities are making Danzig a cauldron of unrest and Bolshevism. Henceforth the Nazis will carry out political pacification without Mr. Lester, who is inciting the opposition to prejudice peace in eastern Europe,

U.S.A. AND PACIFIC MANDATES

(Recd. July 21, 1 p.m.) SYDNEY, July 21

Professor William B. Munro, formerly Professor of American History and Government at Harvard University, who is visiting Sydney, stated that, the United States would view with deep concern any changes in the ownership of territories in any part of the Pacific. The two dominant political parties in America were in agreement on this attitude, and American defence was concentrated on the Pacific. The importance of maintaining the status quo in'the Pacific had been emphasised in President Roosevelt’s policy.