Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1939 INTERNATIONAL TENSION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 January 1939, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1939 INTERNATIONAL TENSION

IN recent cablegrams there have been three outstanding items of news which have been of supreme | importance. In the first place, there was Mr Chamberlain’s declaration that the British Government’s motto “is neither defiance, nor deference, but defence. Secondly, there was the declaration made by Signor Farinacci, Italian Minister without portfolio, who “defined Italy’s territorial aims as Tunis, Jibuti, Corsica, and Nice.’’ Thirdly, there was the rennrl from the United States that

“the Administration’s present foreign policy is pointed directly toward participation on behalf of France in a European war.’’ The British Government’s motto is Defence. For two years past Great Britain’s preoccupation has been defence. She is engaged in carrying through a stupendous programme of re-armament, on which hundreds of millions of pounds are being spent. Her Government has not been making any fuss about the matter of protection, but has been working quietly and intently to put the nation’s defences in order. Great Britain is building (and will complete by the end of March, next year) 135 new vessels totalling 280,000 tons! Those are the figures given by the British Prime Minister, two days ago, and he announced that “aircraft production had been doubled in the last few months, and factories had been erected and extended. The defence programme had been accelerated, and the position had greatly improved.” In other words, in the matter of defence Great Britain is putting her house in order. It is not necessary to search far for reasons. For one thing, it is necessary for her to keep faith with France, and no one knows what the totalitarian Dictators may do next. It is not necessary to comment on their policies and on the numbers and enthusiasm of their followers: where individual leaders such as they may take the most extreme measures at a moment’s notice, there must necessarily be apprehension among the peace-loving nations whose most earnest desire is to avoid war. The apprehension I has spread from Europe to the ! United States, where it is reported I that the President recently made la request “for the immediate appropriation of 50 million dollars to build nearly 600 ’planes lor the American Army,” in addition to which the American Cabinet has “spurred on American factories to produce a rush order for as many as 600 warplanes for France.’’ It looks as if the three great democratic nations are getting ready to meet some serious emergency, of which they are apprehensive. It is not necessary to enlarge upon that statement. It will be sufficiently understood by those who read it, but this much may be said in reference to the preparations which those great nations are making: their desire is to maintain peace, but there are in existence certain powerful factors, which, if they resort to force, can be controlled only by force. Hence the determination of the three great Western nations to be strong in defence. Every part of the British Empire should be doing its share of preparation for defence. In New Zealand the Defence League is taking a leading part in endeavouring to impress upon citizens the necessity of being prepared to resist possible ag-

gression. A meeting in further- \' ] ance of that objective will be held j in the Nelson School of Music ! t this evening when it is hoped the | s League’s policy will meet with |' strong support.