BILL PASSED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23274, 17 February 1939, Page 11

BILL PASSED

AMERICAN DEFENCE

HUGE MAJORITY

PROVISION FOR GUAM

EXPANDING AIR CORPS

By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright

(Received February 16, 6.40 p.m.)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16

The House of Representatives passed by 367 votes to 15 President Roosevelt's 376,000,000-dollar defonce programme, rejecting all attempts at amendment, carrying the 5,000,000-dollar provision for the defence of Guam and authorising the expansion of the Army Air Corps to 5500 aeroplanes. Mr. Stephen Pace (DemocratGeorgia) said: "Germany is ready to strike. I think she may demand the Ukraine to-morrow and then Tunisia will be fought for. We are safe as long as England and France stand, and we will be in immediate danger when they fall. Is it not better for us to sell England and France the aeroplanes they need for defence than to go to war ourselves with the victors if England and France are defeated?"

SOVIET NAVY

MISSION TO AMERICA!

CREATION OF FLEET

POSSIBILITY ENVISAGED

Independent Cable Service (Received February 17, 12.15 a.m.) MOSCOW, Feb. 16 The Vice-Commissar of the Navy, Admiral Isakov, and seven other naval experts will sail for the United States shortly. No official information has been given, but it is believed this may be the first step of a plan to create a High Seas Fleet by the purchase of capital ships or machinery for the production of armour plate in Soviet shipyards. EIRE GOVERNMENT £5,500,000 FOR ARMS COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME AIR, LAND AND SEA DEFENCES (Received February 16, 7.30 p.m.) DUBLIN. Feb. 16 The Eire Government has decided on a yearly capital expenditure of £5,500,000 for equipment for defence and stores. The Government intends to raise the arms' strength from 21,000 to 30,000, and to organise a defensive air force, anti-aircraft and minesweeper services, and air, land and coastal mobile military patrols.

NOT MENACED GIBRALTAR'S POSITION FRANCO'S GUNS REMOVED LONDON, Feb. 1.5 The Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, General Sir Charles Harington, addressing the Empire Society, said: "I do not believe that General Franco's guns have been in-

stalled with hostility against Gibraltar. There were never more than four 12in. howitzers. These were removed months ago." The Governor added that during the crisis there were four anti-aircraft guns at Gibraltar. "Things are vastly different now,'' he remarked.