NEED FOR POWER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18961, 11 March 1936, Page 6

NEED FOR POWER

DEFENCE DEMANDS

WHITE PAPER DEBATE

CHURCHILL’S WARNING

FOR EIGN REARM A M ENT

PRODIGTOFS EXPENDITURE

(British Official Wireless.) Reed. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY, March 10. When the debate on the White Paper on defence was resumed to-day in the House of Commons, Mr. J. H. Thomas stated that, some of the Dominions were taking steps for their otvn internal defence, and several of the colonies had intimated their readiness to contribute to the general defence of the Empire. Sir John Simon emphasised that the normal system in which tlit* Committee of Imperial Defence operated, and of which the chiefs of staff committee was one of its many sub-commit tees, was suited to normal times, but it, became necessary to reconsider and strengthen and elaborate it ia the times through which we were passing, as they approached the more difficult time of emergency. If, unhappily, they should approach war, vvhat was necessary was more continuous contact and more rapid co-operation than they got with the Committee of Imperial Defence on the one hand and with the Cabinet on the other.

If the proposals in the White Paper were approved by Parliament, exceptional difficulties of the urgent and allimportant task would have to be most promptly discharged. It would require the most, unremitting attention.

EXPANSION REQUIRED

In the judgment of tin l Government, ■some extension of the existing organisation for dealing with defence was nmv required, ami the Government had reached the r inclusion that this could best ■lie done by 'Creating a new Minister, who would exercise high and '.special authority as the definite chairman of the Committee of Imperial Defence, and with the very important functions set out in the White Paper. Mr. Winston Churchill said the scale on which foreign rearmament was proceeding was prodigious. Some time ago he made a statement that Germany 7 had spent, directly or indirectly, on armaments in 1955, upwards of 6800,000,000. He had had financial statements as to how the money had been secretly found among German financiers. In the three, rears since Herr Hitler had been in power, Germany had spent; over £1,500,000.000. The money had been raised by internal borrowing, and her resources had been mortgaged even for four years ahead. Supposing the figure last year was only £600,000,000, we should still be confronted with facts which were immeasurable in their eonsequences.

TERRIBLE DILEMMA

Millions of people in Germany who formerly were unemployed had found employment iu munition-; manufacture, or in the armed forces. The financial situation had become such that it could not go on indefinitely.

“A terrible dilemma lies ahead for even the most peacefully minded of the Government in Germany,” continued Mr. Churchill. “If they go on. there is bankruptcy. If they stop, there is tremendous unemployment. The German Government will have to choose, at no distant, date, between an internal and an external catastrophe. Can we doubt what course the man at the head of Germany would he likely to choose?

“Germany, we are told, is not yet ready for war. Some sav she is only half ready. Vet we see that already they are .‘lie only nation in Europe unafraid of war. If what we have seen in the last few days is the mood of partiallv-armed Germany, imagine what it would 'he when tiie colossal preparations which are being made arc approaching their zenith, and when the limits of international borrowing are already in sight. Wars do not, always wait till all combatants are readv.

CULMINATING POINT

“ 1 fear, indeed, that there may he a culminating point in the armaments history of Europe. I cannot tell when it will lie reached, hut certainly it will be reached in the lifetime of the present Parliament. It may pass off. Let us never accept the theory of an inevitable war, hut neither let us blind our eves to the remorseless march of events.”

Mr. Churchill urged the Government to create a skeleton Ministry of Munitions with a council of 10 or 12 selected business men. As regards air, Britain was spending in the closing financial year £29,000,000, compared with France’s £00,000,000. Germany certainly was spending far more. He urged an increase in the number of destroyers in the Royal Navy, especially after flic recent toiling up, which showed they were unsurpassed throughout the world and still the main bn [walk of our security.