NOTES FROM LONDON.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 30 May 1919, Page 3

NOTES FROM LONDON.

MR. ASQUITH AT NEWCASTLE.

DEFENDS A FORMER SPEECH

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright

(Received May 80, 12.30 p.m.)

LONDON. May 17

Mr. Asquith, at, Newcastle, replied to tho criticism of his speech at Newcastle in Apai, 1915, in which ho denied that tho army’s operations in France were crippled bv the Government’s failure to provide tire necessary munitions and had thus lulled the country With a false sense of security. Ho declared that his statement had been unscrupulously and shamelessly travestied for several years for political purposes, but he had refrained from replying to the misrepresentations during the wav. Mr. Asquith proceeded to outline the successful effort? of his Government in securing an increase of munitions in 1914-15, the need of which was acutely realised. He came to Newcastle in April, 1915, for the purpose of urging Tyneside and other workers to increase their output. His statment denying the lack of munitions was made after consulting Lord Kitchener, who had been personally consulting Lord French. Mr. Asquith asked vfhere else could he have applied for authentic information than to Lord Kitchener. He added that tho statement was carefully limbed to the past. He had not attempted to conceal tho Government’s anxiety as to the future, but ho enrplnsisod that all the military authorities were agreed that a large and rapid increase of munitions was indispensable. - -Ans.-N.Z. Cable Assn.