BRITISH ELECTIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22260, 7 November 1935, Page 18

BRITISH ELECTIONS

DECISION NEXT WEEK OPPOSITION ALARMED REARMAMENT ISSUE SPEECH BY MR. CHAMBERLAIN [from our own correspondent] By Air Mail LONDON, Oct. 10 It was arranged months ago, and before the present international complications,' that tho Government shottld ask for a new mandate early in 1936. The decision to hold a general election on November 14, although it is only two or three months earlier, has caused some consternation in the Opposition ranks.'

When the Socialist Party declared so strongly in favour of sanctions against Fascist Italy, even to the extent of military sanctions, they cut away tho strongest plank they had for their election campaign. In spite of this, however, they apparently intend to pin their faith to one-sided disarmament, although tho Government has stated it must have tho public behind it in bringing our armaments up to a safe level. Tho Socialists apparently know tho weakness of their cause, henco tho alarm regarding the near approach of a genera'l election. At a Labour rally this week Major C. R. Attlee, the new Parliamentary leader of the party, indicated the path the Labour candidates should tako. "It may be," he said, "that this Government, which failed to support tho efforts which were made to get disarmament at the Disarmament Conference, may come out now as the champions of peace, and ask you to support rearmament. Do not listen to this." It is doubtful if such talk will ence even the most ignorant of the elec-' tors after the bellicose attitude of tho party conference regarding sanctions. ' Period of Anxiety Mr. Chamberlain, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has dealt with the suggestion that the election should be postponed until the spring, when the present crisis would have passed away. "Do not make any mistake," he stated. "We are not at the end, we are at the beginning, of what may be a very long period of difficulty, doubt and anxiety, during which there may be recurring crises of a most serious character. "When you are facing such a position as that it to me it is essential that the Government of the country should be clothed with unquestionable authority ( and should be assured o£ sufficient stability of tenure to be able to carry out its policy to the end." The issues at Geneva, the Chancellor continued, were so big and so overwhelming that they had broken down many traditional prejudices and instincts, and had brought about some strange: and unexpected combinations. Conservatives, officials of trades unions, churchinen, nonconformists, Roman Catholics, atheists, women and children, and even the Socialist Party—or at least the greater part of it —were all in the sanctions boat. Policy of Sanctions "If you-look overboard you can see some heads bobbing about in tho water and among them that of the late head of the Socialist Party, Mr. George Lansbury. And now a new commander, Major Attlee, who has been rather contemptuously told to carry on until the crew can find somebody better, does not seem altogether happy about his position.

"I gather that he supports the policy of sanctions, but proposes to throw every obstacle in the way of the Government that, is trying to carry thom out. I should watch Major Attlee very closely during the next few months. "I am not sure," Mr. Chamberlain added, "that this trouble we have been having would ever have occurred if this country's defence forces had been stronger. We must carry out our new programme in much shorter time than we have contemplated. Every item will be scrutinised by the Treasury before it is proceeded with, to make sure that there is neither waste nor undue profits for the contractor. \ "We do not want these forces for aggression. We do not intend to go any further than the absolute minimum which is necessary for our purpose. We shall not relax our efforts to try to obtain some general agreement/on disarmament." ;