EMPIRE DEFENCE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18973, 25 March 1936, Page 13

EMPIRE DEFENCE

WHITE PAPER OUTLINE APPROVAL BY LORDS DOMINIONS DISCUSSED' CADE FOR 00-OPE RAT lON (Klee. Tel. Copyright —United Press Assn.) ( Reed. March 25, It.l-5 p.m.) LONDON, March 24. The debate mi the While Paper on defence was resumed in the House of Lords to-day. Lord Esher urged the const ruction of at least one bomb-proof port where liners could be unloaded and three or four capital ships could lie in safety, ill least one large bomb-proof aerodrome where it, would be possible to have several hundred aeroplanes constituting a reprisal force, and also the construction of underground petrol stores. Lord 111iIuink regarded 12 more air squadrons as insufficient for Empire defence, and quoted the Australian Attorney-General, Air. R. G. Menzies, saying last Friday: “So long as the Empire is subject to a single KingEmperor, no part of the Empire can remain neutral, though each part will reserve its discretion as to how far it will go.” Lord Elibank Imped that the Government would notice that expression of opinion and give some, indication of cooperation with the Dominions and colonies.

Lord Farington criticised the White Paper for almost exclusively referring in national and not collective defence, and asked why the Government did not ask the other League States to Jay down what was necessary in their own and Britain’s defence. Lord Lothian asked had Britain entered into what the French Foreign Minister, MR Flandin, and the Belgian Prime Minister, M. Paul Van Zeeland, regarded as a military alliance. The last war had cost Britain 1.0C0.000 lives and the next might cost 2,000,000. Lord Ilailsham. in reply, said he did not think he would he acting in the interests either of Britain or pence as a whole if lie attempted to interpret tile speeches of M,. Flandin and AT. Van Zeeland. The White Paper set, out the whole obligations which the. Government had undertaken. There was no secret undertaking.

The position of merchant shipping was under constant review, and communications were proceeding between the Dominions and foreign Governments with ■ a view to concerted measures to place British mercantile shipping on a better economic basis.

The House, of Lords approved the defence proposals by 109 votes to eight.