MR CHURCHILL AND ITALY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 303, 20 November 1935, Page 7

MR CHURCHILL AND ITALY.

UNPARALLELED HOSTAGES TO

EORTUNE,

Mr Winston Churchill, M.P., who was the guest of the City Carlton Club, London, recently, made a speech in which lie said that Italy might one day be grateful to old friends like Great Britain for striving to keep her out of what might be a deadly trap. The British Government, he said, had been absolutely right in strengthening our naval power in the Mediterranean and in making sure that every precaution had been taken by the British Fleet. We had held our position in the Mediterranean for more than 200 years; and he knew of no reason why we should not be fully capable of maintaining it now. But these precautions which the Admiralty were bound to take in no wav differentiated the position of Great Britain from that of other members of the League of Nations. The issue did not lie between Italy and Great Britain, but between Italy and the League. Speaking as a true friend of Italy he expressed liis surprise that so great a man, so wise a ruler, as Signor Mussolini should be willing, and even eager, to put his gallant nation in such an uncomfortable military and financial position. To cast an army of nearly a quarter of a million men embodying the flower of Italian manhood, upon a barren shore 2000 miles from home against the goodwill of the whole world and without command of the sea, and then, in that position, to embark on what might well be a series of campaigns against- people and in regions which no conqueror in 4000 years ever thought it worth while to subdue—to do that was to give hostages to fortune unparalleled in all history. NATIONAL SAFETY.

Those conditions of entanglement and vulnerability were not risks to be run for only a few short weeks, he continued. Unless Italy accepted the good advice of the League of Nations and deferred to its decisions such a condition might continue even for years. Italy might one day be grateful to old friends like Great Britain for helping to keep her out of what might be a deadly trap. Some Powers in Europe would be very glad to see Italy get into a thoroughly compromised and dependent position. Britain was not one of them. We deplored a course which threatened —although he had by no means abandoned hope—to remove our Italian comrades and old Allies from the group of great Powers striving to rebuild the harmony of the European family. , , , . Mr Churchill added that one obvious duty was to provide for our national safety by putting our defences in order We must rearm Our niadequate armaments had already brought us into contempt in some parts of Europe. He rejoiced that, very late in the day, the Government were prcparcd to acL Germany was rearming on a gigantic Sand at an unexampled speed.