GERMANY'S PLEA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22563, 6 May 1935, Page 15

GERMANY'S PLEA

FOR REARMAMENT PROGRAMME NEEDS OF SELF-DEFENCE NEIGHBOURS SUSPICIOUS (British Official "Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, May 3. During the foreign policy debate in the House of Commons profound distrust of Germany's policy and intentions was voiced by Mr Winston Churchill and Sir Austen Chamberlain. The method of Germany, Mr Churchill declared, was to acquire mastery in the air and under that to develop her land and sea forces. Her design was being completed rapidly. The remedy for this waa that Britain must act with France and Italy and any other country, great or email, to preserve peace under the League of Nations, meanwhile repairing deficiencies in defence with increased vigour.

Sir Austen Chamberlain shared Mr Churchill's anxieties. He eaid he considered the situation more dangerous than at any time since the war, and urged the strengthening of the defence services on a scale equivalent to the peril. Was Germany, he asked, willing for agreement, or did she intend to present herself to Europe as a nation so strong that all others would be at her mercy? Before the war she forgot her own encirclement. Was she going to do the same thing again T, Lord Cranborne closely analysed the German plea that her armament programme was dictated by the needs of self-defence. Who, he asked, was going to attack Germany? If France had not attacked her in the last 15 years, when the French strength was eo much greater, she would not change her mind now. That Germany should be attacked by the States around her or by Poland was inconceivable. There remained only Russia, but Russia was engaged' on a great experiment that required many years to complete and could only be pursued in peace. Russia, said Lord Cranborne, had no incentive to war, and the German idea of a military Russian peril was a myth which he did not think the German general staff really believed in. Germany's neighbours feared her intentions. If these were in fact innocent Germany could easily give proof by returning to the League and signing an armaments limitations pact. Such action would give immense relief to Europe. There seemed to be forces in Europe definitely making for war which would be deferred only by the realisation that a policy of force could not succeed.

Sir John Simon commended Lord Cranborne's epeech. He, too, asked of whom Germany could possibly be afraid, and concluded with an appeal to her to carry out her former promise to seek equality within a security system and to restore by deeds the sense of security that she had so seriously prejudiced, if not shattered, by recent events.

MR MACDONALD'S SPEECH BERLIN, May 3. The newspapers welcome the concilia tory parts of Mr MacDonald's speech, which the Boersen Zeitung.says: "Gives the impression that after a world-wide gallop through the newspaper columns he resumed hold of the bridle. Germany's willingness to participate in rap prochement exists to-day as it has always existed. England knows the preliminary conditions. If she expresses willingness to negotiate with us we shall assume that England agrees to these conditions." FRENCH PRESS COMMENT PARIS, May 3. The newspapers make brief comment, mostly favourable, though Le Journal is disappointed. It says: "This eternal British mediation is going to give Herr Hitler another opportunity to flout the treaty." BRITAIN AND LOCARNO

SYDNEY, May 4. (Received May 5, at 5.5 p.m.) Welcomed back to Cootamundra, his native town, Mr F. W. Doidge (a former director of the Beaverbrook Press), >vho is later going to New Zealand, declared that Britain under the Locarno Treaty was pledged to participate in the next European war and that war was imminent. For this reason the dominion representatives now in London would be faced with big issues next week in their talks with British Ministers. The do minions did not subscribe to the Locarno Treaty, and it was imperatively necessary that Britain should know where the dominions stood. " Pray heaven that the dominious may yet prevail upon Britain to cease meddling in Continental quarrels and to repudiate the Treaty of Locarno. Only in that way can the Empire be kept out of the next war."