Britain’s Huge Expenditure In Cause of Peace

Northern Advocate, 25 July 1938, Page 7

Britain’s Huge Expenditure In Cause of Peace

I British Official Wireless. 1 i Received 10 a.m.i RUGBY. July 24. j '1 lie Air Minister. Sir Kingsley Wood, visited the Austin aero works al Birmingham m see 11m first Fairoy battle bombing ‘plane produced under ; the Government’s shadow factory ! scheme in flight. i Kc addressed the employees at lire i factory, saying that the launching of j the 'plane marked an important stage iin .he air defence programme. The 1 policy of utilising the great motor industry for aircraft production was tally justifying itself, and some i £11.000.000 had already been expendi cd on the shadow factory scheme. This year the country was spending some £126,000,000 on air defence alone, and. at the same time, large sums on j the Army and Navy. It was making j ,hc.se great efforts and these vast payI meats, not for the purpose of aggression. but because they believed they • would be a vital and stabilising factor | on the side of peace, j A formidable British air force was certainly one of the most powerful deterrents to war. Lord Austin said the flight, of: the first 'plane marked the culmination of the’ first stage in the Austin aeroplane production after two years' intensive work.