BRITAIN’S DEFENCE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXV, Issue 12919, 22 July 1936, Page 5

BRITAIN’S DEFENCE

AN IMPORTANT REVIEW REARMAMENT PROCEEDING Ra'PIDLY. NO ANXIETY AS TO NAVY. ! } f kVu * ■ AMAZING GROWTH BY AIR forge. (British Official Wireless.? RUGBY, July 21. The Minister far tho Co -ordination of Defence, Sir Thotpas Inskip, initiating the debate in the House oi Commons, gave a revi-eav of his department’s efforts to accelerato the programme of rearmament. Referring to the naVa'l programme he said that in ship? production , oqujpm'ent and personnel, reports avere satisfactory 7, and avliile maintenanep and replacements avere proceeding in a, normal manner,, additions and expansions on a growing scale avere constantly taking place. He was not aware 1 of any anxiety in any quarter qis to the naval position. Regarding munitions' supply, when the near source they hoped to secure among private firms! avas .available and Tho Government: factories avht© in production, 'seven-tighths of the total requirements of shell, fuse and cartridge cases avould have been provided A great advance had been made since he,spoke, eight Aveeks. ago in the provision of the nieces-sory gauges of all types and descriptions. Sir Thomas Inskip announced the dispersal of the Royal ordnance la •- toyy at Woolwich to- various points in South' Wales, Lancash’re and Scotland.

• Turning to the air force, the Minister said it was a near and unknown factor in. future Avar. Its develop-

ment in machines and equipment during the last three or four years avas absolutely amazing. The best illust ation that mach-nes avere under production to-day 7 for regular use in the air force avhich five years ago would have been serious competitors for 1 the Schneider Cup. Coining to the question of the expansion of aircraft, production, he said that comparing April, May and June avith the corresponding pc.rlni of last year, the delivery avaa abouc three and a half times as many aeroplane's and over twice as many engines.

Before he concluded, Sir Thomas spoke of flic avork be big done on ■‘he problem of food supplies in avar-time. and said that they Avere on the point of reaching conclusions which he hoped would ensu-’c to the country an increased output by agriculture as well a-s a. sufficiency of supply from abroad of all essential food ar.rl feeding stuffs for which the country was- dependent- on ijnports.

Air. IT. B. Lecs-Rmith. for the Coposition, and the. Liberal spokesman. Sir Archibald Sinclair, complained that Sir- Thomas In skip’s -speech shoAved lark of co-o"dina-t!on hetavocii the rearmament programme and foreign policy, and betaveen the assumed requirements of Britain and the collective .system generally.

Mr. Winston Church’ll said h v though lie could assure Sir Archibald Sinclair that in any Avar in Avboh Britain Avould ever he engaged -fi e avould be acting in conformity avith the spirit of the covenant, of the League of Nations. He aa'cnii on to criticise the administrative system adopted by tho Government for the co-ordination of defence, describing Sir Thomas Inskip as an innocent a:iptime of a responsibilit.v so st.ransely, so inharnionionsly, and no pera-erselv gnouped, and endoaved avith power.? 1 so restricted that no ono could regard the- experiment ns satisfactory. He urged the separation of the function «"!) co-ordinating high strategic thought from those problems connected avith material supplies.

MINISTER’S REBUKE TO LABOR MEMBERS MR CHURCHILL’S SKIUOL'S WORDS COMPARISON WITH GERMANY SECRET SESSION OF PABLTAMKNT URGED PRIVATE DEPUTATION AS ALTERNATIVE IU.P.A. by F.lee. To!. CppyrighD. Received July 21, 7.30 p.in.) LONDON, July 20. Sir T. Inskip, speaking on the co-ordination of defence in the House of Commons, referring to Mr Lloyc! George’s declaration that “it is easier for a .strong country to gain objects by 7 peaceful diplomacy than a weak one” said that the remark referred to Germany, but it avas equally true of Britain or any oilier couptry. He hoped Labor members avould remember that observation avilien they were confusing the questions of defence avith thoser of , British foreign policy. He added that tho chiefs o? staff had been fleshly studying control, production >a:nd merchant slopping and wers concerting plans - for aerial, and,..ipival co-operation. on avhich.’ security depended. , Air Lees Smith complained that Sir T. Inskip dealt almost exclusively with questions of supply and. did not refer to the co-ordination of the defend© services, on ivhieh he’..is to co'nqentvate. While.. epgrossecl ■; Avith.. the problems of ,/supplyj .he did nqt po§sess jiiis OAifn. staff. The result would be that millions of pounds would be largely- Avasied qAying to. .]gek oh cq:;ordination.., . ... i

ill- Churchill said.it appeared that German expenditure, on .the .upkeep of. forces' (absorbed', £300.030,000,,t and the ■Gornpins...yv.epe spending,;; ;£SGQ,- ( 000,000 on .expansion— £500,000,001 ■for .'something, very,, serious,, which might,happen 'Scon— cdtiipared ..Avifli Britain spending. £75,000.000 on expansion. Ho added that they ishould ferhemher that those 'hammers qf Ai'hich General ’Goering spoke avci;o descending driv and night in Germany ■ Mr G'hurchill concluded -by referring to .the Avai’timo secret’‘session, of Barkament and . suggested ’. that ’one should be he’ld noAv. If . that was possible Mr ‘Baldwin - should' receive .a deputation of older members of the House of-Commons, to hear a case which, „ could no longer be submitted publicly with safety, on condition that