BRITISH RE-ARMAMENT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 53, 4 March 1939, Page 9

BRITISH RE-ARMAMENT

FAITH IN VOLUNTARY SYSTEM MAN POWER FORTHCOMING FOREIGN MISAPPREHENSION (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) [ British Official Wireless j RUGBY, March 2. Speaking in Liverpool Lord Zetland, Secretary for India, said that there were persons abroad who, while admitting the magnitude of our rearmament programme, took comfort to themselves from the belief that the voluntary system would fail to give us the necessary man-power to make our programme effective. He believed that to be a profound misreading of British character, and he had little doubt that so long as our people know how best they could serve they would respond to the country’s call. The story of the Government’s measures for civil defence, begun in the House of Commons yesterday, was carried further to-day by the Minister of Health, Mr. Walter E. Elliot. Continuing the adjourned debate Mr. Elliot gave details of plans 'for an emergency in respect of medical services, casualty stations, the evacuation scheme, and other matters. He mentioned that 300,000 beds could under arrangements already in existence be made available for casualties within the present hospital system, and 200,000 of these would be available within 24 hours. The Exchequer was undertaking the major part of the cost of the protection of hospitals, and first aid posts from blast and splinter. Evacuable Population. Turning to the evacuation problem the Minister explained that on the provisional allocation the total population in evacuable areas was about 11,000,000 spread over the London area and 18 other large congested industrial cities and towns, while the total population of neutral areas was about 13,000. The total population of reception areas was about 16,000,000. He controverted the idea that evacuation meant indiscriminate unorganised movement of all sorts, sizes and characters. The plan was an ordered evacuation af groups selected in advance and selected because on both national and humanitarian grounds they would be better out of large crowded cities. The evacuation movement was intended to be predominately a movement of children. Priority classes were school children, young children, and mothers of young children. The census of billeting possibilities in the reception areas which were now nearly finished had involved visits by 100,000 volunteers to 5,000,000 houses, and he considered that the enrolment of an army of volunteer helpers on such a scale at short notice was a great testimony to the spirit of the national service. Returns so far to hand showed a splendid t espouse on the part of householders in the reception areas. Civil Estimates. The vote on account dealing with the civil estimates and the estimates for the Revenue Department reveal that the total for 1939 is £339,596,081 net. The corresponding figure for 1938 was £519,492,315. and a further provision of £10,000,000 was included in the Budget statement to cover supplementary estimates. It is expected that some further provision will bo required for the supplementary estimates for 1939. The estimate includes the provision of £5,190,707, of which £5,000,000 will be required for air raid precaution services. Power to borrow for this service is being sought in the Defence Loans Bill now before Parliament. The estimate represents only the net charge to the Budget and does not include expenditure to be met by borrowing. This al:>c applies to the Essential Commodities Reserve Fund, the total estimate for this being £3,500,000, of which £2,000 009 is being required on account. The gross total of the defence, civil, and revenue departments estimates in £1,070,022,462, states a London message. If the debt charges approximate the current year's expenditure for 1939-1940 it will be about £1,250,000,000.