DEFENCE WEAPONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18551, 10 November 1934, Page 6

DEFENCE WEAPONS

BRITAIN LAGS BEHIND ALARMING DECLINE SPEECH BY MIL CHURCHILL (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Received November 10, 1.30 p.m.j LONDON, Nov. 9. Mr. Winston Churchill, in a speech reviewing world conditions, referred to the House of Commons arms debate, ami declared that a real inquiry ought- to he made, into the alarming decline m Britain’s means of making deleave weapons. . . “.Should danger come Britain was much loss prepared than in 1914, whereas every other large country was prepared oil a scale undreamed of m 1914. Every factory in Germany, France and Italy was organised to- turn over at a few hours' notice from peace to war production—from sewing machines to machine guns, from motors to tanks, from perfumes to poison gas, and from chemicals to explosives. The whole hideous process had been studied with infinite care. By the pressing of a button the whole of Germany could be turned to the single purpose of producing death-dealing machinery. This was not tlie moment to break down the few woefully shrunken armament factories which had survived the long process of British disarmament. It was absurd, he said, to suggest that the armament firms evei influenced Britain’s foreign policy.

Mr. Churchill added that Mr. 'Ramsay MacDonald boasted that_ ho had continually reduced the defences, hoping for others to follow. This hud proved utterly wrong. Air. MacDonald was now realising that the vast Empire, whoso weak defences made it a potential prey to hungry rivals, was l a new factor in European instability. Air, Churchill concluded by staling that he intended to move an amendment during the air defence address, giving the House of Commons an opportunity- to face realities.