ARMAMENT RACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 235, 4 October 1928, Page 7

ARMAMENT RACE.

FRANCE TO THE FORE.

Startling Increases In Next Year's Vote. FRONTIER FORTIFICATION. (Australian and NJS. Press Association^ (Received 9.30 a.m.) LONDON, October 3. A special - political correspondent of the "Daily Express" says startling increases, amounting to £12,250,000, are to be spent on French armaments. In the ensuing 12 months the total expenditure on the fighting forces will be £85,000,000 as against £73,000,000 last year. Britain is to spend £114,000,000 as against £115,000,000 last year. More than half the French expenditure —the army portion—is allotted to the construction of a great concrete defence wall and nests of machine and anti-aircraft guns on the French frontiers. The largest proportional increase is to be devoted to the French' Air Force. This at present consists of 1200 first line aircraft supplemented by large reserves. Britain barely has 700. aircraft. The fact that there is a 20 per cent increase in the French naval estimates, says the correspondent, proves that a naval renaissance in France is no longer an empty phrase. M. Painleve (Minister of War) has issued a semi-official repudiation of the interview cabled yesterday in which he was repented as having stated that France would carry out intense fortifications, "gun for gun" on the Italian frontier as the "only common sense way" to keep up with Italy's policy. He states that he only replied in a general way to journalists' suggestions regarding the Italian frontier. .