ARMAMENT MAKERS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 139, 14 May 1936, Page 6

ARMAMENT MAKERS.

Tins manufacturers of armaments have come in for a good deal of adverse criticism during the past few years, and in some countries, the United States, for example, it has been seriously proposed that the Government should make armament manufacture a State monopoly. An exhaustive inquiry into armament manufacture has been made in America, and the revelations have been quite unsavoury, but there is notning surprising in that for the United States is steeped in “graft.” The armament manufacturer has an important niche to fill in the structure of present day civilisation, for our civilisation has not reached the stage of perfect peace when the lion and tne lamb can bed down together in perfect harmony and perfect confidence. That stage lias not been reached and never will be reached while human nature remains as it is. Even at this present moment the tension in Europe is such that no one can express a definite opinion on war or peace. Let us also bear in mind that the next war, should it ever come, will be a struggle between nation and nation, and not merely between soldiers _ and soldiers, and sailors and sailors. It would be a case of mobilising the entire nation, and assigning to each individual a definite place in the game of war. “The abolition of the private manufacturer of armaments would be a gamble with the dice loaded against us,” was the view expressed by Sir Maurice Hankey m his evidence before the Arms Commission, and lie spoke on behalf of the defence services, the Eoreign Office and the Treasury. There is no doubt that the elimination of the private manufacturer of armaments would be more than a gamble ; it would be suicidal. The State is at all times influenced by the position of the State revenue, and the armament department would be the first to feel economy should that be necessary, and the last to be considered in times of plenty. Ihe department would suffer from sheer neglect, owing to peace propaganda, and then if war broke out there would be feverish haste to improvise armaments. The British Government' fortunately does not suffer from illusions. Britain made strenuous efforts to get the nations to disarm, and m furtherance of that objective set an example by herself reducing armaments to" below the margin of safety. That gesture was a «reat mistake, for we feel certain that had Britain’s armaments been up to date, much of the trouble that now threatens Europe would not have surged to the front. The peace of the world will not be assured unless Britain is fully armed and prepared for prompt action. Britain is the policeman of the world, and her influence will always be used in the maintenance of international law and order.