BRITISH DEFENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22345, 17 February 1936, Page 9

BRITISH DEFENCE

FIGHTING SERVICES CO-ORDINATION SCHEME t WARSHIPS' VULNERABILITY ; MENACE OF AIR ATTACK By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright 1 LONDON. Feb. 14 Considerable interest was aroused by the second reading debate in the House of Commons on the private ; member's bill designed to subordinate the three fighting services to one Ministry of Defence. After the discussion, Lord Eustace Percy, Minister without portfolio, for the Government, asked for a suspension of judgment until the Government's proposals were known. The bill by leave was withdrawn. Tn moving the second reading of the bill Sir Murray Sueter (Conservative — Hertford) referred to the War Cabinet and suggested that the experiences of co-ordinated working of the defence services learnt in the stress of the Great War had been forgotten. He questioned i if the Committee of Imperial Defence and its sub-committees were facing the vexed problem of defence arising from modern developments. Could they not have experiments to settle definitely the vulnerability of a battleship to air attack before Parliament was asked to spend £120,000,000 on a battleship programme? Sir Murray declared: "If anyone says anti-aircraft Runs will stop aerial bombardment, he has not the vaguest idea of what he is talking about. Right Choice of Arms Essential "The Admiralty was wise in moving tho Fleet from Malta in view of the range and performance of the Savoia bombers. No one is able to deny that the battle fleet cannot stay at Malta with a hostile nation near. "What is true of Malta is even more true of Gibraltar, Devonport, Portsmouth. Chatham and Sheerness." Sir Murray said his bill would set up an advisory defence college, reinforced by civilian members with experience of industry, for in a future war the Navy, Army, Air Force and industry would have to be forged into a single weapon. He appealed to the Prime Minister, if ho would not accept the bill, to assure the House that the Government would create alternative machinery "to mate certain that we are making the right choice of arms and strategy for the future." The speaker recalled several instances of the Admiralty ignoring aerial possibilities. He said three torpedo-dropping aircraft sent to the Dardanelles in tlie war scored three hits with three shots, but the Admiralty refused development. He urged an experiment with an old battleship, made unsinkable, which airmen should bomb with armourpiercing missiles of their own design and not with bombs of Admiralty manufacture. Attack oil Prime Minister Sir Austen Chamberlain, a former Foreign Minister,, referring to "the recent rude * shocks Parliament has received," vigorously attacked the Prime Minister, Mr. Baldwin. He recalled that on November 28, 1934, Mr. Baldwin said that if Germany continued to accelerate her air programme at the existing rate, Britain's Air Force would still have a margin of nearly 50 per cent in Europe. Sir Austen then quoted Mr. Baldwin's speech of May 22, 1935, admitting that he had been completely wrong in November, as he and his advisers were not aware of the speed of German production. Sir Austen added: "I can recall in 40 years of Parliamentary experience no comparable announcement on the fundamental issue of defence. Is it surprising that some of us who are not alarmists feel profoundly anxious? "Mr. Baldwin on December 5 last, while defending the Hoare-Laval peace proposals, referred to his lips being sealed, but when, a few days later, he again confessed his error, ho did not explain, even when his lips were no longer sealed, why previously he had said that he could disclose things to prevent anyone from voting against the Government Mr. Baldwin Remains Silent "These events," said Sir Austen, "are unpleasant and not reassuring. They could not have happened if our defence organisation had been efficient." Sir Austin appealed to the Prime Minister to give a lead toward a solution and to ask Parliament for whatever powers he required. He did not favour a Ministry of Defence, but said very reluctantly that he had come to the conclusion that it was impossible in tho present circumstances for the Prime Minister to be an effective head of tho Committee of Imperial Defence. Tho speaker said he thought it was necessary to have a Minister whose main business would be to supervise the working of the committee, and who would also be chairman of tho Chiefs of Staffs Committee. Sir Austen's outspokenness startled and excited tho House. Mr. Baldwin was on the Treasury bench throughout tho speech, but did not reply. Government Accepts Responsibility Members from all parties, including Major C. P. Attlee, tho Labour leader, spoke in general support of tho case presented by Sir Murray Sueter. Lord Eustace Percy, in replying, said tho Government accepted responsibility for decisions based on a co-ordinated viow of defence requirements, but in his opinion single Parliamentary responsibility would require an executive unification of the departments, which was impracticable and less suitable than the nioro flexible system represented by tho Committee of Imperial Defence, presided over by the Prime Minister, or a similar organisation. It might well be that the system needed development and strengthening. The Government was not complacent. Development had taken place, and wns still taking place, to an extent not always realised.

Lord Percy ended with a request to Sir Murray to defer the vote upon the bill till the Government's proposals had been communicated tp the House.

Rear-Admiral Sir Murray Sueter created the first Anti-Aircraft Corps for London and the Armoured Car Force and also aided in the evolution of the tank. Jointly with the late LieutenantCommander Douglas Hyde-Thomson ho invented the torpedo aeroplane and seaplane.