STATEMENT BY MR BONAR LAW.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14545, 25 October 1917, Page 5

STATEMENT BY MR BONAR LAW.

THE DANGERS OF PUBLICITY

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

London, Oct. 23. In the House of Commons., critics of the London air defences moved an adjournment in order to discuss Friday's ra:jL. .

Mr Chamberlain and Admiral Sir Hedworth Meux advised the House to make short work of tho motion. Mr Bonar Law said/ho refused to teh> Germany by giving particulars of our methods of defending London. Of , eleven Zeppelins, only one came over London. The Air Service's >iew was i that the mist did not.save London, but |it saved the Zeppelin. If tho Germans ever smiled at our way of conducting war, they would have a happy jtime over the British House of Comtmons stopping its business to make! this fuss^over the greatest"'air defeat Germany had ever suffered. Two raids on German towns-with largo populations' rad already taken place. This was what happened owing to the pressure of one of two members of the House of Commons and the pressure of newspapers to find out what we were going to doi: It was a fact that the Germans, w£o knew the only quarter whence the raids could take place, had sent a flying squadron to await our fliers. Then they were ready to recei\o our men. . The motion was withdrawn. The "Daily Express comments1 ttat if bombing a town forty miles over the border is what the Government means by bombing German towns, it is not what the public mean. Tho statement will create widespread astonishment, and tie continued lack of action is causing widespread discontent.