REARMAMENT POLICY

Grey River Argus, 6 October 1934, Page 5

REARMAMENT POLICY

PLAN FOR BRITAIN By Conservative Party (British Official Wire’ess.) RUGBY, October 4. The sixty-first annual conference of the National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations was opened at Bristol to-day, about 1700 delegates including many members of both Houses, being present. They were presided over by a. woman. Miss Regina Evans, Chairman of the National Con n cil.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Chamberlain) made a statement in the course of a discussion on Im-

perial defence. He was replying to Lord Lloyd, who in a vigorous speech, moved a resolution expressing anxiety regarding the inadequacy of the provisions made for Imperial defence.

The Chancellor said that Britain had done her best by precept and example to get other countries to reduce their armaments but ha.] failed. Until the feeling of fear and anxiety among the great armed nations could be removeil, there was not much hope of a serious measure of disarmament. “We are still trying to keep the peace and remove the causes of anxiety and suspicion, but this Government felt, in view of the fact that after all these years, no appreciable progress had been made towards disarmament, it was quite incompatible with their duty to this country to leave our defences in the condition in which they are to-day. XVe made prolonged investigation of the state of defences, not merely in Britain, but the whole Empire, because we have to defend not merely our own land, but also our trade routes and Dominions. XVe have been engaged for many months, assisted by those who can speak with the greatest authority on behalf of the various services, in examining the whole situation and formulating adequate plans to deal with that situation. We have made a definite announcement about the Air Force, because we feel the Air Service differs from others, in that an attack from the air is one which might affect every man, woman and child. We put forward plans under which the country will spend approximately £2,000,000 in the course of this and th? four succeeding years in bringing up the number of squadrons from 41 to 75 squadrons. While that is the plan to-day, it may be accelerated or slowed down, as conditions demand. The Government is fully alive to the dangers of the situation, and fully determined to meet them.”

At the opening of the conference the delegates stood in silence for one minute, as a mark of respect for the miners in the recent Gresford colliery disaster. Afterwards, a vote of confidence in the National Government was moved, and in the course of the debate, it was stated that Britain’s recovery from the depression was the marvel of the world, and that no Government had done more for peace and disarmament, and the fact that no greater success had been achieved at Geneva was no fault of the British Ministers. The “Sun-Herald” service says: — The Government does not merely regard the Disarmament Conference as defunct, but the situation has got to worse in the past six months that it is believed there is no alternative to a thorough organisation of Britain’s defences. Events on the Continent are interpreted as tending towards conflict. The Empire cannot ignore the Continental re-arming, and must consolidate the collective security.