The Gisborne Times SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1934. BRITAIN’S NEED TO ARM—FOR PEACE.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 12199, 10 March 1934, Page 4

The Gisborne Times SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1934. BRITAIN’S NEED TO ARM—FOR PEACE.

The appeal made in this issue by the Dominion Council of the League of Nations Union for “unprejudidiced consideration of present .world trends” is certain to provide consideraoie discussion. What- is •suggest-' ed" is that- a steady flow of misrepresentation in. regard to tne Empire's defences i s taking place with the object of bringing pressure to bead upon the Home Government to app.reciably augment them. No attempt- is made by the authors of the manifesto to conceal a charge that the alleged misrepresentation of the position is the work of armaments firms and it is added that they have “the definite intention °f creating fear and suspicion, which will return them increased orders.” That armaments firms do nob miss an opportunity to secure extra business by stressing—and even by over-stressing—the necessity for the maintenance of national defences, on a large scale and at the highest point- of efficiency may be taken for granted. With armaments fi r m s , a 3 with other classes of manufacturers, business is business. On their part, however, they stoutly disclaim that their policy is to secure orders by breeding fear and suspicion. CYhat they suggest is> that they rave at heart the interests of 'their nation just as much as have' other people. Boiled down, tlm position would seem to be this: that it.' would be idle for the armaments firms to attempt to create a real scaXo if the nationals of any country were not satisfied that • there were /substantial grounds for alarm. In .short, what the League of Nations . Union -Suggests is that, at- the present; juncture, it is quite- unnecessary foi Britain to strengthen her . defences, ft pleads tiimt all nations have earned through “some measure of disarmament, ao far as personnel and unifs are concerned, but that with modern weapons their destructive? capacity -is . greater • tliaii ever.” Logically, if this means anything at all, it means that all the nation* to-day are more powerful (than they were hitherto. But is* this claim true as. far as Britain is concerned? If Mr. Ramsay MacDonald—a confirmed pacifist—is not greatly mistaken, Britain has reduced her armaments more appreciably ithan any other nation, with the result that, i» the event of international/*strife,. sjie would he very considerably handicapped. His own words are that Britain’s defences have been reduced to danger point- and tha'f, a.a hcV example* has not been followed, it would be madness not to re-strpng-then them again! Seemingly, the League of Nations Union authorities are sadjy mpiufprmcyj. Po they not appreciate the fact that . a world tirade war is. steadily developing V. Arp they unaware of, recent dfsplo-; sures indicating ’ fhe eoinp of the leading nations ■ fidiicli

'rim counter to the interests oi their neighbours? Strictly speakbig, no nation could afford to go to ■fcrpfe* fat the. mpmenlj, but;., snob ..-a---'state of affairs dogs not mean that liva-r . is. toyhay, out ’of’■'the question, ■for tile implements of war are at' hand . eoiuiiriefl, with, tip' ex-'; eeption of in greater, voly uiiie, . variety and ingenuity than, over before. In every land, Britifjiers will hot fail, i<) 'give consider-' ablo, attention to what “Bir Hurd lias to say oh. matter, viz.:—

'(Rival naval Powers have never' acknowledged by word on deed the sacrifices macle by the British peoples since the end of the Great War iii .the effort to effect a<general limitation of naval armaments. Now, when tho failure of this-- policy has become apparent, every measure which may be taken to remedy the present weakness will bo regarded by jealous eyes, if not as unfriendly, as at any rate opposed to the movement for 'the reduction of naval armaments. The reductions made by Britain, wholesale in their character and disastrous iin their effcict, woiTe hnilaferial. Hence the British peoples throughout the realising their weakness by sea, land", and air, may now be represented,! quite mistakenly, as arming- themselves for war. The fact is that they will be arming themselves for peace, for no better guarantee of the peace of the world' has yet appeared on the horizon than a strong British . fleet.”