NATIONAL DEFENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22809, 19 February 1936, Page 7

NATIONAL DEFENCE

WHITE PAPER TO BE ISSUED AN OUTSPOKEN DOCUMENT (United Press Association) (By EiECtrlc Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, February 17. (Received Feb. 18, at 10.30 p.m.) The Sun-Herald Agency understands that Cabinet has commenced the final drafting of a White Paper on defence, which will be a long and outspoken document. Immediately the document has been completed a summary will be telegraphed to the dominions, whose high commissioners are constantly conferring with British Ministers on this question. It is expected that rearmament will extend over three or four years and will chiefly affect the Air Force and the navy, but a 'substantial sum will be allocated to the army, mainly for mechanisation, replacing old equipment, and replenishing reserve supplies. The War Office has lately had difficulty in securing sufficient recruits for normal demands and has prepared a plan to stimulate the recruiting of territorials, who wilj probably be, given an increased status, with a more definite place in home defence, besides additional service grants.

The bulk of the new expenditure will be for the navy. The naval conference having' failed to reach a quantitative agreement, the Government intends to carry out an ambitious building programme. It is expected that two eapitai ships will be laid down immediately the Washington Treaty terminates, and possibly additional battleships will be laid down within four years, replacing obsolete ships. Other replacements contemplated include 10 cruisers and about 100 "smaller craft, including destroyers. It is expected that the naval expenditure will approach £150,000,000. Provision for expansion of the Air Force, already made, includes 25 extra squadrons in 1935-36, with an additional 41J squadrons by 1938. The acceleration arranged Inst year will treble the home strength by 1937 and increase the personnel by 22,500. It is understood that the new programme provides for additional aerodromes in the south of England, more anti-aircraft guns, and augmentation of the Observer CorpsAlthough the Government is not establishing a Dpfeiicc Ministry to coordinate the work of the three services it is expected that a member of the Cabinet, probably Lord Percy, will bo associated with the Committee of Imperial Defence in its activities, relieving Mr Baldwin, who finds it impossible to couple chairmanship of the committee with the Prime Ministership.

AUSTRALIA'S AIR STRENGTH

SYDNEY, February 18. (Received Feb. 19, at 0.30 a.m.) Mr R. A. Parkhill (Minister for Defence), addressing the United Services Institute, said that Australia's future air strength depended on the development of its civil aviation and the provision of local manufacturing resources for aircraft. The defence and civil aviation policies were inseparable and Australia depended on them for its very security. " The size of our civil aviation resources is governed by the length of our air routes. Not only must our air services extend throughout Australia for postal transport and commercial reasons but they must operate over routes which represent the first links in the chains of flight that join Australia with the rest of the world. So the Australian air services must be operated between Darwin and Singapore, Brisbane and New Guinea, and Sydney and New Zealand as a corollary to local defence." Mr Parkhill added that this would in times of danger or emergency give Australia a large supply of trained pilots knowing every inch of the routes over the surrounding waters, a large number of fast and powerful planes, operating bases, and manufacturing resources. Referring 'to the question of Hying boats for Empire mail routes between Singapore and New Zealand, Mr Parklull said that Australian conditions dictated a type of land plane having high speed, long range, and large carrying capacities. This was the type that could be an aid to defence. On the relative merits of flying boats and land planes the Government had to be guided by the advice of experts. The Air Board had recommended that land planes be substituted for flying boats in the case of three out of four squadrons of four flying boats each for the Royal Australian Air Force, as recommended by Sir John Salmond. There would be 12 multiengined land planes in each of these squadrons, compared with the total of 12 flying boats suggested. The Minister added that land planes could be used for sea as well as land reconnaissance, and were less costly and of higher performance than flying boats.

BRITISH PRESS COMMENT LONDON, February 17. (Received Feb. 18, at 11.30 p!m.) Several newspapers anticipate that Cabinet, which is assembling to-day to begin consideration of the defence proposals, will meet under the shadow of a threat due to the fear that the Government is unwilling to go sufficiently far and fast regarding rearmament. The Daily Mail speaks of the possibility of a serious crisis owing to the Conservatives' determination no longer to tolerate delay and half measures. The Daily Telegraph insists that Cabinet has hammered out a scheme without friction, but the Morning Post refers to indications of Ministers' disunity and expects the back benchers' warning profoundly to affect the Ministers, finally dispelling any suggestion of whittling down rearmament. It also thinks that Cabinet will expedite the proposed reorganisation of the committee of Imperial defence, introducing measures for mobilising industry in wartime and arranging permanent representation for the dominions, ensuring co-ordination of material and methods. The NewsChronicle believes that the air bombs versus battleships controversy will be revived by Cabinet, while the revised Defence Committee will be entrusted with new tasks in strengthening key points of Imperial defence, including Singapore, Aden, Malta, and Gibraltar. The Manchester Guardian's diplomatic correspondent says the whips assured Cabinet that the House was ripe for a programme of almost any size. SERVICE ESTIMATES (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, February 17. The Supplementary Defence Service Estimates have been issued as follow: Navy, £4,850,000; Army, £1,350,000; Air Services, £1,611,000. The Navy Estimate is due to 3500 additional personnel being required, the revised estimates of the number of officers, seamen, boys, and Royal Marinps on his Majesty's ships at the Royal Marine Division and at the Royal Air Force Establishments now beins 97,882. The Army Estimate is due to the special measures taken in connection with the Italo-Abyssinian dispute, the restoration of the remainder of the

emergency abatements from remuneration, pay, etc., and the Singapore defences. The net total is reduced by £400,000, representing the Army share of the jubilee gift of the Sultan and State of Johore. The extra Air Services Estimate is also mainly for expenditure consequent upon the special measures taken in connection with the Italo-Abyssinian dispute. Additional expenditure on Royal Air Force expansion accounts for £604,000.