THE ARMAMENTS DILEMMA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22574, 12 November 1936, Page 12

THE ARMAMENTS DILEMMA

In his speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet Mr. Baldwin has given expression to the difficulty encountered by many others when considering the question of armaments. "The folly of all of us" is his verdict on the spending of larger and still larger sums in this way by the nations. With this verdict there must be agreement. A race in armaments is to be deplored, for two reasons —its absorption of money better devoted otherwise and its attendant temptation to turn to force as the means of endeavouring to settle international disputes. On the other hand, attention to defences certainly becomes a duty in given circumstances, of which those prevailing to-day may be adjudged typical. Hence a practical dilemma is met: to foster war in any degree is foolish, yet to neglect means of withstanding it is as plainly foolish. Mr. Baldwin, fortunately, does not leave the question unsettled. It is essentially a practical one, and it cannot be answered by merely theoretical argument; consequently he defines the position of the British Government as in favour of doing everything practicable to check the armaments race and also as concerned with the provision of adequate national defence. It is true that the measure of this adequacy is directly affected by the intensity of the. armaments race, but it does not follow that every degree of strengthening defence necessarily contributes to that competition. Two safeguards can be provided ; one is a national care that preparedness against attack does not recklessly exceed the likelihood of it, the other a care that the spirit actuating the preparedness is solely and strictly defensive. For the British Empire it can be honestly claimed that every reasonable technical precaution is being taken to keep armaments expenditure down to evident necessities, and that no motive of aggression is harboured. Put positively, this amounts to concern for national security and at least equal concern about methods of promoting international friendship. In the practical harmonising of these purposes statesmanship has its duty and opportunity in these day*. j