BRITISH DEFENCE BILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 February 1937, Page 9

BRITISH DEFENCE BILL

SECOND READING PASSED LABOUR DISSATISFACTION [BY. CABLE —PBESB ASSN. —COPYBIGHT.] LONDON, February 25. The Government Defence Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons to-day by 307 votes to 132. For the Labour Party, Mr. H. B. Lees-Smith refused to be reassured by the Chancellor or Mr. Keynes. He contended that the Governments borrowing policy should"be reserved for the time when armaments expenditure fell off and a slump, threatened, in order to arresf an oncoming depression. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the degree of planning and co-ordina-tion disclosed in the speeches of the Minister for Co-ordination of Defence (Sir Thomas lnskip). Out of 17 Cabinet Ministers in tlie House, no fewer than 13 had to answer questions concerning preparations in event of war. There was no'evidence that Sit T. In-, skip was co-ordinating those 13 colleagues. ( ,Mr. Lees-Smith suggested ,ttie appointing ~of‘ a- civil* •’ cpnimittee for Imperial Defence on'’aspects of the defence problem which, he asserted, were obviously being neglected. , . . '

Sir Robert Horne (Cori.), a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, speakipg later in the debatp, expressed the opinion that the country could take £400,000,000 of borrowing in its stride: The Home Secretary (Sir John Simon), replying for the Government, disclosed that the output of gas masks was now, 100,000 daily. Britain was the only country in the world making this valuable provision for the safety, of its civil population. Answering Mr. Lees-Smith’s suggestion of a civil planning committee, Sir John said there existed actually a va~st general staff—mostly civilians—for the defence' of the home front. The question of food supplies was being continually studied.

ORGANISATION PROGRESS. RUGBY, February 26. In winding ■up the debate on the second reading of the Defence Loans Bill, Sir John Simon referred to the progress of organisation for food supplies and air defence. Plans had been, made for rationing food, storagfi and distribution in ports, and diversion of shipping. Port emergency committees had been established, including civilian experts. There was careful interlocking of all these arrangements, right up to the Committee of Imperial Defence. Referring to air raid precautions, the Committee said that there had been an appalling development of the radius of action and the bombing lea'll of aircraft. The precautions were directed against high explosives, gaX, and incendiary bombs. Incendiary bombs were the worst of the trinity in devilishness. Local organisations were being built up. for fire-fighting, decontamination warnings, gas detection, first-aid rescue work, clearance, of debris,‘ and emergency communications. There would also be a central service. - '