Menacing Germany

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 63, 16 March 1938, Page 5

Menacing Germany

Great Arms Expansion Scheme Being Prepared GREAT BRITAIN’S ANSWER United Press Association—By SHectrlc Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, March 14. The Australian Associated says fhat when Mr. Chamberlain in his declaration in the House of Commons said: “I hope no-one, whatever his preconceptions may be, will regard himself as excluded from any extension of the national effort.” He pronounced the imminence of a great speeding-up of the expansion of Britain’s armaments for defending Britain’s and the Empire’s interests. “His sentence, in a nutshell, is the British Cabinet’s policy as a sequel to the European crisis.” the agency add:. “Details of the expansion are already being worked out by Cabinet with the Committee of Imperial Defence. “The magnitude of the undertaking is the best reflection of how menacing Britain regards Germany. “Undoubtedly the abnormal additional expenditure involved will heavily burden all sections of the community, but it is gathered that the Government, in its effort to avoid crippling increases in direct taxation or dislocation of industry, will regard armaments as a special case entitling the raising of a good proportion of the money by new loans.” SPEEDING UP IN FRANCE Received Tuesday, 7.5 p.m. PARIS, March 15. M. Blum has announced that in view of the gravity oC the situation he has decided to seek extra credits to expand the arms programs. He appealed to trade uni,on leaders to speed up arms production. FRANCE DISAPPOINTED GERMANY RATHER CRITICAL Received Tuesday, 7.5 p.m. LONDON, March 15. The Daily Telegraph’s Berlin, correspondent says that the version of Mr. Chamberlain’s speech issued to tho German Press deletes all reference to violence and illegality in the annexation of Austria. Mr. Chamberlain’s introductory review w ? as distorted, and it concludes with the statement that the speech was characterised by a noticeable lack of acquaintance with the course of events. France is somewhat disappointed at Mr. Chamberlain’s speech, which is considered to leave England’s intentions too equivocal. DEFENCE OF AUSTRIA DUCE’S OFFER TO FRANCE PARIS, March 14. Bertrand Jouvencl, son of the former French Ambassador to Rome, reveals in the Paris journal Liberte that he was the channel of Signor Mussolini '& offer to France in June, 1936, to join France in defendiug the independence of Austria and Czechoslovakia conditional upon France’s recoguising the conquest of Abyssinia. France turned down the offer as incompatible with M. Blum’s Socialist election pledges. A Rome message reports that II Ducc, in reply to Herr Hitler’s “I will not forget this" message, telegraphed: “My attitude was determined by the Italian-German friendship consecrated by the Berlin-Ronie axis." ROTHSCHILD’S PASSPORT TORN UP BY GERMAN OFFICER LONDON, March 14. The Times ’ Prague correspondent reports that Baron Louis Rothschild, wishing to go to Rome for the weekend, had his passport torn up ou the frontier, a German officer remarking: “You Jews will never have passports again." The Jewish Congress has appealed to the League drawing attentiou to the tragic fate awaiting thousands of Austrian Jews, says a Geneva cable. “WHAT HALIFAX WAS TOLD.” DISCUSSED BY MEMBERS OF COMMONS IN LOBBIES LONDON, March 14. Members of the House of Commons in the lobbies are discussing the statement in Marshal Goering’s National Zeitung, “What Halifax was told when ho came to Berlin has now been revealed bv law and a new max? of Europe is the result."