ARMAMENT POLICY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22823, 6 March 1936, Page 7

ARMAMENT POLICY

MR BALDWIN QUESTIONED NAVAL PACT WITH GERMANY PROGRESS IN AIR DEFENCE (British Official Wireless) (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) RUGBY, March 4. The Prime Minister (Mr Stanley Baldwin) was asked in the House of Commons whether the French Government was consulted before the recent naval pact with Germany, whether any further pact with Germany relative to military, reductions was under consideration, whether France would be notified in advance of any negotiations, and whether any further reductions in armaments with Germany would be approved by the British Government which did not include air forces. Mr Baldwin replied that the naval agreement with Germany was signed on June 18, 1935, the outline having been communicated to the French Government on June 7, with an invitation to furnish observations at an early date. As regards the second part of the question, if by military reductions the member was referring to reduction or limitation in land armaments, no pact was under consideration. With regard to the third question there was no intention to depart from the general practice of the British Government which was to keep in close touch if possible with those Governments most directly concerned in any negotiations that might take place on the subject of armaments. With re gard to the last part of the question thßritish Government, as frequently stated remained most anxious to secure some reduction or limitation of all Trmaments. It could, however, give no undertaking to make its agreement to reduction or limitation of one branch ot a C rmSients o depende.nt upon freemen nS regards reduction or limitation of 8 MKBaldwin added: "We believe that bv getting limitation in naval anna mentf wc S have served a-very useful PU i P o°rd C Stanley, in answer to a question whether any decision °n • the limitation of the size of battleships reached by the Naval Conference would ablc to Germany, stated ;hat any agree ments reached at th« conference, would not be applicable to Powers other than Sht be made for acceptance of correZnding undertakings by other Powers He mentioned that Germany already had two baXships of 23.030 tons each under construction. defence disclose the lines on which the work was proceeding. THE NAVAL ESTIMATES .. LONDON, March 4. The Naval Estimates do not provide for the new construction programme, which is the subject of Supplementary EsSates which are being presented to Parliament later. These total £69 930,000, compared with £60,050,000 faVt year, while £4.645,000 is required, to make progress with the construction already authorised. Viscount Monsell is explaining in a Supplementary Paper that construction of the 1933-34 cruiser squadrons is proceeding more rapidly than was anticiPa The'rc is an increase of £1,082.000 in the expenditure on the .fleet air arm excluding the cost of aircraft for the new ships. This will be devoted mainly to re equipment and the maintenance of %wSSine ißhtS capital ships and cnS "are now fitted with catapu ts and 37 aircraft are embarked on the vessels so fitted. , Provision for the maintenance of the fleet, including defence against air attack, is increased by Viscount Monsell states that it is of vital importance that there should be close co-operation between the three iighting services. THE NEW DEFENCE SCHEME (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, March 4. Inferring at a public meeting to-day to the Government's new defence scheme the Air Minister (Viscount Swindon) declared that the defence policy, like the foreign policy, did not merely mean defence of vital interests, important as they were. It meant something more than that, for it was insurance against "war. They would only prevent war if the forces of peace were strong enough to make war not worth while. The only way for Britain to get disarmament "was for her' to be strong enough and for other countries to know it. The world knew that Britain would never use her power for aggression. LORD CECIL'S VIEWS (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, March 4. Lord Cecil, who was a guest of honour at the All People's Association dinner last night, said there was an urgent present need for every possible effort to promote peace and progress. Referring to the Abyssinian dispute, he said the actual controversies between Italy and Abyssinia were not the main point at issue. That was whether successful aggression at this moment must not strike a devastating blow at all the efforts that were being made for peace. That was why he was so anxious that nothing should be done to weaken the machinery that worked for peace, and why he looked with such deep confidence to the efforts which Mr Eden was now putting forward at Geneva. He welcomed the Government's assertion in defence of the White Paper that it did not regard its policy as in any way conflicting with the general policy of a reduction in armaments. Discussing the possibility of removing the causes of war, ho urged that there should be effective international machinery for changing by treaty or otherwise arrangements which were found to be intolerable to any country. Lord Cecil added that the Naval Conference was reaching the point when it would be possible to complete a draft treaty. The French Government had intimated its willingness to accept a limit for battleships of 35,000 tons, with 14-inch guns. The British Government was prepared to sign a tripartite agreement with the United States and France, «o framed as to be open to signature at a later date by Japan and Italy. The last-mentioned'country, while unwilling to sign a treaty at the moment, had not withdrawn from the conference, and might be willing to consider the signature of the treaty at a later date.