COMMONS DEBATE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1939, Page 5

COMMONS DEBATE

■ox conscription

OPPOSITION VIEWPOINTS.

(United Press Association—By Electric

Telegraph-Copyright),

LONDON, April 2"

In the Commons, on the conscription debate, Sir A. Sinclair, in moving the Liberal Amendment, stressed the unity of all parties on the subject of defence. The ..differences ’related only to method.

•Mr Churchill said that we must be careful not to fail on the common cause. Parliament had accepted'*> a new policy, to build up a defensive bloc, pledged to resist , furthep,Nazi aggression, in pursuance of which they had made a series of tremendous, staggering commitments, which all parties had approved. This .policy would easily be injured if the Government had not taken the latest step, He added: - We pay far too mucin-atten-tion to Herr Hitler’s,, speeches, and too little study to the marshalling of his forces and. the . ■ spread of his authority. He expressed the opinion that*,the conscription plan wds' somewhat ismall,; and he urged -that more classes.should be called up. The main resistance toNazi dictatorship' came from Then mass, of the people. We had reached) & paint when gestures' * wete not eiKJUghiO We wanted not only geWtures,3;d,nt •an army, apd that quite soon. "'’There had been a war going on for nearly three years 1 , which we had been losing.

Mr Wedgwood said that whatever the result in the lobbies that night, the country would remain united. The difficulty was that it was badly led. ■Compulsion would not strengthen the defences one iota, within six months. Mr Arthur "Greenwood, winding up the debate for Labour, said that the Prime Minister had no right to P ut the country in pawn, because he had mqde commitments to three countries, Who' would - never want,one division of British infantry.' “Indeed, we could not'get it there,” he said. ;; “The British Labour movement is not going to sacrifice its, freedom at,, the dictates of totalitarian States, but warns potential that fit•will,- keep its freedom, j and it .will fight for what it

has won.”

VMr Hore Belisha (Secretary for War), said that events moved quickly, arid the tempo of preparations must keep pace. Outlining the present military* resources vhe said that the Regular. Army establishment was 224,000; and the strength 204,000. He would presently' - ask -the" House to increase the establishment. The territorial es : tablishment was 350,000, and the strength 167,000.' The anti-aircraft army - establishment- was 96,000, and the strength: was 80,000. Territorial recrujls had been enlisting since April 1 at the . rate of 2,000 daily. , 'No voluntary scheme would secure so. rapid an accretion to the trained strength as the Government’s... plan, which gave, the Regular Army ,a. considerable trained reserve. Secondly, it enabled the anti-aircraft defences to be permanently manned. The Opposition feared that labour might he conscripted, but the Government -had no intention of doing so.

Seven Opposition -Liberals, including Mr Lloyd George and his family, voted with the Government against the Labour Party’s amendment. ■The Lord Chancellor, replying to the debate in the« Lords, which followed the lines 1 of that in the Commons, said; “This is a'moment 1 tif extreme gravity in the history of’ Britain and the Empire. The possibility of hostilities with the greatest military power the world has evi|r known must be reckoned with. The onus resting upon the Prime Minister, and the Foreign and Defence Ministers, is almost could Be ,asked to bear.’’

• FOREIGN VIEWS.. ; * : PARIS, April 27. The Paris newspapers hail conscription with profound delight, characterising it as one, of the most important. moves in Europe since the Great War. Typical headlines are: “Britain Crosses the Rubicon, ’’ and “Brave England.” . - ROME, April 27. The news was plastered on the front pages, and is described as the ending of British isolation. The “Popoio di Roma” says: The decision marks the overthrow of the fundamental British idea that England, because of Divine prerogatives, may fight her wars with the soldiers of other nations.

OTHER VIEWS

LONDON, April 27

Lord Craigavon has a,sked Mr Chamberlain to apply conscription in Ulster,

The Oxford Union voted 423 to 326,. welcoming conscription, in view of, the country’s commitments and the. gravity of the situation, recalling its resolution not to fight for King_ and country. The conscription ‘pfoposrfls are meeting with a mixed reception in tho city. It is stated that the Government’s plan was too hastilv improvised, and emphasised the difficulty of drawing a line between armament and non-armament industries. Meanwhile, shares of companies like Vickers, also aircraft shares, have been marked down. Iron and , steels Aire uncertain.

Selling became genera) in the' stock markets, this afternoon, owing to the holders’ reluctance to have open commitments, pending Herr Hitler’s speech. Prices yielded in most sections, included gilt-edgeds. SCOTTISH UNION ATTITUDE. (Received this day at 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, April 28. The Scottish Trade Union Congress passed a resolution opposing conscription. and urging contact with the National Council of Labour to determine the most effective means to combat it.