GERMANY'S ARMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22226, 28 September 1935, Page 13

GERMANY'S ARMS

MENACE TO PEACE BRITISH EMPIRE'S DANGER LONDON. Sept. 26 In an address at the Carlton Club Mr. Winston Churchill said: —"The rearmament of Germany is the greatest and grimmest fact in the world today. Herr Hitler is spending at least six times as much on arms as is Britain. The vultures are circling, hoping to devour the Empire's carcase, but we are going to disappoint them, in spite of the lamentable doctrine that as Britain possesses many colonies she should slice up the Empire to provide equal rations for newcomers. " I am surprised that no Cabinet Minister has stamped out such squalid heresy, as once others thought we were prepared to redistribute His Majesty's Dominions there would be such an uglv rush that our inheritance would be torn to pieces. " Wo would be left starving with the population of a first-class Power on a little island." The Sun-Herald news service says Mr. Churchill's speech has aroused considerable discussion, especially his full agreement with the Government in its advocacy of largo and rapid rearmament. It is generally believed that Mr Churchill wants to join the Cabinet, particularly as Defence Minister, which portfolio the Government is believed to have been considering. This would enable him to direct the proposed rearmament programme, including naval building involving a national loan of probably more than £150,000,000. A feature of Mr. Churchill's speech was his view that Germany and not Italy was the Empire's real danger. He described Germany as rearming on a gigantic scale, unexampled for speed. The whole power of the Nazi regime, he said, was concentrated night and day on warlike preparations in the air, and on land and sea. German arsenals and private factories were the main part of German industry and were absorbed in building the most formidable armaments science could devise.