AIR DEFENCE OF LONDON

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19661, 1 December 1933, Page 9

AIR DEFENCE OF LONDON

COMMENT ON BRITISH POLICY POWERFUL APPEALS FOR STRONG AIR FORCE United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received November 30, 7.0 p.m.) LONDON, November 29. In the House of Lords, the Duke of Sutherland asked whether the Government proposed to increase the air strength. Owing to the existing international situation, it was not desirable to rattle the sabre, but the question must be considered purely from a defensive aspect. "Destroy London,” his Grace said, “and you destroy England, for you destroy the heart and brain of the country. Destroy Farts, and France still lives. Destroy Berlin, and Germany still lives. The great Continental countries do not depend on their capitals for existence. England depends on London, for its very life blood.” Other nations had not followed our disarmament example.

Britain’s Policy Outlined. Lord Londonderry (Minister for Air) stressed the British Government’s determination to continue to pursue a policy aimed at achieving effective disarmament in the air. He added emphatically that they could not permit of the continuance of Britain’s present inferiority. lord Londonderry said the policy

the Government had consistently followed in connection with air disarmament was sufficient indication that they regarded the problem as of vital moment. When the war closed, Britain was the first air Power in the world. After the Armistice she dispersed the greeter part of the vast air fleets, until the country was to-day fifth only of the world’s air Powers, in terms of first line strengh. All countries had not made public statements of their current strengths, but official figures were available for France and Britain. In Britain’s case, the figure was approximately 850 aeroplanes. In the French air force the corresponding figure was about 1650. According to

available information the Soviet Republic figure was between 1400 and 1500; the United States between 1000 and 1100; Italy between 1000 and 1100. It was clear that Britain’s example had unhappily elicited no response whatever in any quarter of the world. This was a path which could no longer be followed, and they must, however reluctantly, abandon the policy of unilateral disarmament. “The Government has made it plain in their successive announcements at Geneva that they recognise the need for a one Power standard in the air for this country. They had offered to go to any length if the other nations would do the same. They had, indeed, stated their willingness to consent to the complete abolition of military and naval aviation, provided only that there couid be devised an effective scheme for the international control of civil aviation, which would prevent all possibility of the misuse of civil aircraft for military porposes. It now appeared that there were nations which were not prepared to agree to such abolition, and it was impossible to deny that

there were great piacucai uimtuiwca in the way of such a far-reaching measure, but Britain could not accept the continuance of the present inferiority. If parity could not be secured by reductions elsewhere, then the converse of the proposition must follow, and there would be no option but to begin to build upwards, while continuing efforts to secure an international agreement in fixing the parity at the lowest level to which other nations would subscribe. Lord Londonderry said they must hope it would be possible to fix a first line strength for the principal air Powers, which would neither be a threat to the peace of the world nor Impose an intolerable financial burden on Britain, and the Empire, as the whole must be made safe in the air, but a race in air armaments should be avoided at all costs.

Menace in the Air. Viscount Cecil said me real case for disarmament was based on the fact that one or two air attacks in the future would practically settle the whole course of the war. No other country was so exposed to air attack as Britain. She would be crippled within forty-eight hours. The people demanded that everything should be done to abolish this dangerous air weapon. The Duke of Sutherland said mat an adequate defence force would enable them to stave off attackers on London. He hoped the present activities would obviate the possibility of any country delivering the knockout. The debate was adjourned.