ALARMING REPORTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18397, 15 May 1934, Page 5

ALARMING REPORTS

EUROPEAN ARMS RACE GERMANY PLANNING WAR ITALIAN NAVAL POLICY (Elec. Tol. Copyright —United Press Assn.) LONDON, May 14. The Daily Express’ Brussels ’ correspondent says that M. Dcveze, Defence Minister, and General Nuytcn, chief of the army staff, have fallen out over au elaborate plan to defend the Gorriian frontier by means of steel wall fortifications, on which £12,000,000 has already been expended. This is M. Deveze’s plan, but General Nuyten favors retiring the Belgian army to the sand duues on the northern poast, leaving the British to defend,Belgium against the main attack. M. Deveze. has accordingly asked General Nuyten to renounce his retirement plan or resign his office. Parliament supports M. Deveze’s scheme, hoping for prompt assistanco from France, but the Belgian army staff is not confident of France’s prompt intervention, but instead would like an alliance which would guarantee Britain’s intervpntipn.. In any case generals believe that Britain will not walcli Belgium invaded without coming to her",aid.- j Belgium,Hike Franco, is assured tliat Germany is preparing to avenge the last war. The Times, in a leader, says:— “It is freely rumored in Paris that Germany has started an armaments race. It is reported in half the capitals of Europe, including London, that Germany is elaborately preparing for an immediate air attack on several countries, including dropping disease bomljs. There is no evidence that tho German Government is going completely mad, but even supposing it is perfectly true that Germany is quietly preparing to go to .war again, is not that an additional reason for accepting Germany’s arms convention, including international supervision?’’ Tho Daily Telegraph’s naval correspondent, Mr, Hector Bywater, had an interview in Rome with Signor Mussolini at the Palazzo Venezia. Though the conversation was private, Mr. Bywater is in a position to givo an authoritative resume of the Fascist nav&l policy, which is based on the belief that though geographically a peninsula, Italy is practically an island dependent, on shipping for supplies. Italy accordingly is aiming at tho freedom of iter maritime traffic through five bottlenecks in the Mediterranean, viz., Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, the Narrows, Canal of Malta, and' Bnb-el-Mandeb. In view of tho growing population, Italy must seek colonies in Asia and Africa, but is not considering territorial conquest. She particularly wants to bring Africa within the circle of world civilisation. Italy still stands for equality of naVal armament with France, says Mr. Bywater, and the abolition of tho submarine if other Powers agree. No Italian submarines have been, laid down since 1933. No capital ship has been started since the war, but a modern fleet is a weighty factor in the world’s balance of power.