EMPIRE DEFENCE

Taranaki Daily News, 9 November 1935, Page 7

EMPIRE DEFENCE

MAIN ELECTION ISSUE BROADCASTS IN BRITAIN POSITION MORE DEFINED ORDEAL OF THE LEAGUE CONFIDENCE IN FUTURE British Wireless. Rugby, Nov. 7. Last night’s election broadcast was delivered by Sir Herbert Samuel, Opposition Liberal leader, who, referring to rearmament, agreed that the Government and Parliament were bound to see to it that defences were sufficient to safeguard the country against risks. It was the prime duty, but it was untrue to say that the present defences, the cost of which had advanced in three years by 20 per cent, to £124,000,000, were negligible. But they would never reach security along that road. The only real road was through general disarmament and taking profits out of pushing the sale of arms.

Dealing with domestic issues, Sir Herbert said the continuance of unemployment was due to the heavy drop in overseas trade as a result of the barriers to its development all over the world. A strenuous effort should be made to secure an all-round reduction in tariffs, quotas and other restrictions,, and he called for bold initiative. Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister, in a letter wishing the National Government candidates success, reviews the issues of the election, in the course of which he says the electors’ choice rests between the National Government, which stood for united action in defence of the League of Nations and world peace, and the Labour Party, which when the testing time came lost its leaders and found itself divided into different sections' on a vital issue. WORK FOR PEACE. Mr. R. A. Eden at Radford said that for the whole of the life of the present Government it had been his duty to work almost without intermission*in the cause of international peace. He believed that at present the League, which stood for them as the new international order, was probably stronger than it had ever been, despite all difficulties. If it emerged, as he believed it would emerge, from the ordeal of the present dispute stronger than it was before, then all might look forward with confidence that they had never been able to command hitherto to years of peace and understanding among nations. “The Government in four years has spent £450,000,000 on the fighting services and if they are not efficient I vjant to know the reason why,” said Mr. Herbert Morrison in the final Labour broadcast. He added that the Labour Party was pledged to maintain efficiency in the defence forces, but it refused to squander money on armaments. A vote for the Government would be a vote for a policy leading to war.

Disorderly meetings are scarcely a sign of the election apathy of which some complain, though Mr. J. H. Thomas especially arouses the ire of Labour supporters whenever he speaks outside his own constituency.

The police were called in to a meeting addressed by Mr. Neville Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in North London, where rival factions came to blows.

Green Shirts demonstrated against Mr. Stanley Baldwin on his arrival at the Leeds central station. A dozen men who had travelled in the same train jumped out and dashed along the platform, where there was an assemblage of distinguished people. The men shouted, “Down witb the bankers and the Government.” The Green Shirts are supporting the Social Credit candidate.