Egypt to Speed Arming as Link In British Plan

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 30, 6 February 1939, Page 3

Egypt to Speed Arming as Link In British Plan

CAIRO —The determination of the Egyptian Government to launch an intensive rearmament programme which was made known at the recent opening session of Egypt ’s Parliament is regarded here as one effect of the London visit of Premier Mahmoud Pasha and other nt Egyptians during the past summer. According to King Farouk’s speech, the Egyptian Air Force is to be considerably strengthened, at the same time the Government is to begin the building of a nucleus fleet of 36 vessels at a cost of 17,500,000 during the next two years, while plans have been drafted of establishing munitions factories and other plants intended to make the country independent in producing war materials in time of emergency. At the same time a new recruiting bill was disclosed requiring all Egyptians to serve three years in the nation’s ith a standing army of 150,000 in view. Through all these preparations the close understanding with Britain is visible. Britain in close collaboration with the Egyptian military authorities til readv has taken measures to consoliI date the defenses of Port Said, Alexandria, and the Suez canal, while, at the height of the European crisis in September the British Government is understood to have assured Egypt that it would defend the land of the Nile with all the sources at its command. Maintenance of Independence The recently announced activity in I the preparedness programme is reIgarded as evidence that the Cairo Government is at least taking a serious view of the need of securing its newly won independence. In the present state of international unrest, a weak defenseless Egypt is potentially a threat to peace, a fuel that is generally recognized by many Egyptians, from King Farouk down. Two yea is w ere largely wasted in political and press bickerings, with the result that comparatively little had been done toward carrying out the military provisions of the Anglo-Egypt-itn treaty of 1936. Hitherto Egypt has Jbeen inclined to accuse Britain, upon ;v. ii'jm it has had to depend for its m- . . oi undermining that independence. For a long time, however, Egyptian politicians did not appear to fa<-e hone.-tly the fact that defense of its own independence by the means required under present international conpt a large, sum Lengthy War of Words Recruited mainly from lawyers, who are sometimes endowed with more mental agility than sound knowledge, the politicians, during the last 20 years especially, have been waging a war of words, chiefly between the Wafd, founded by that popular hero by Egyptian independence, the late Saad Zaghlul Pasha, and its opponents. Among educated persons there had been a growing impatience with politics, though expression of this sentiment was seldom heard for the simple reason that the greater part of the Arabic press depends for its cir- 1 culation of political controversy. Party government therefore had fallen into a i good deal of disrepute. The business-like way in which the new arms programme has been put through has made a good impression and the political elements once more have an opportunity of retrieving Parliamentary government from the discredit into which it had fallen. Gangster Stuff The dear old lady was watching the preparations for the departure of the liner with deep interest. “That thing there, lady,’ voluntered a loafer, “is a gangway.” The old dame looked puzzled for a moment. “Oh, I see,” she murmured, “and I suppose that is the gang going |up it.”