PREPARING FOR WAR

Wairarapa Daily Times, 26 June 1936, Page 5

PREPARING FOR WAR

SERMV tRiNS ON A VAST SCALE. Press Association Electric Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, Thursday. The “Morning Post” says that information from authentic German sources show that’Germany’s war preparations are on a vaster scale than has hitherto been supposed. In 1935 Germany spent £740,000,000 on her armed forces, of which £240,000,000 was for maintenance, and £500,000,000 was capital expenditure. In 1936 she is spending £900,000,000 (five times as much as Britain), of which one-half represents capital expenditure and one-half cost of maintenance.

A capital expenditure of £450,000,000 in the current year is alarming enough, but far more serious from the international viewpoint is that an equal sum should be earmarked for maintenance, because, whereas - the former can be met by borrowing, the latter can only be met by taxation. Most financial experts agree that the burden thus imposed on the German people cannot be borne The danger therefore is that a point will soon be reached when Herr Hitler will be faced with the choice of abandoning his present policy or engaging in a foreign diversion. The seconduCourse means war.

Most outside observers and also many sober-minded Germans are convinced that Herr Hitler will be forced to make war rather than face internal collapse and revolution.