STRONG DEFENCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22933, 11 January 1938, Page 9

STRONG DEFENCES

—j , AMERICAN PROGRAMME NAVY AND AIR FORCE (Received January 10, 5.6 pjn.) NEW YORK. Jan. e The Washington correspondent of the United Press says he learns that President Roosevelt has decided to recommend to Congress a huge naval aircraft building orogra mme and the construction of more submarines and destroyers, instead of battleships, on the ground that lack of building facilities would delay for at least two years the start of actual construction of the latter. The supplementary programme is expected to cost nearly 2,000,000 dollars.

It is believed that the programme will include the construction of nearly 1000 more aeroplanes by 1940, whereby the combined Navy and Army Air Force will total approximately 4500 modern machines.

The recent report of the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. C. A. Swanson, revealed that the United States is trailing all the naval Powers in the submarine and destroyer categories. The chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives, Mr. Taylor, said the national defence programme would be enacted very speedily. "The greatest urgency," he said, "is an adequate Air Force. There is no question in my mind that in the event of war it will come from bombs, gas and general aerial attack. In order to combat it we must have an aerial defence system second to none." "

Mr. Taylor condemned three unnamed "buccaneering nations," and said the United States Government must bp on its guard, otherwise a surprise move might catch it "flatfooted " He added: "The programme really is preparation for peace. It is a warning to other Powers that they had better go easy with Uncle Sam. Treaties mean nothing to-day. It would be idiotic for the United States not to prepare instead of just praying that the rest of the world will be good."