REASONS FOR THE INCREASE
Adequate Defences Necessary MAINTAINING WORLD PEACE lllHll'lSH OFfIMAL WIRELESS.) (Received March 5, 5.5 p.m.) RUGBY, March 4. The- reasons for the increases in the 1935 estimates for the British defence services are contained in a White Paper issued by the Govern- -' ment to-day in anticipation of the ' House of Commons debate on the i whole question of Imperial defence ■ arranged for March 11. ' The White Paper begins with the ' statement that the establishment of " peace on a permanent footing is the f principal aim of British foreign - policy. In pursuit of this object the • British Government has accorded ' : unswerving support to the League - of Nations and collaborated in the > '. promotion of international and rei gional agreements for collective se- . , curity. It has endeavoured to bring : about a good understanding between 'all nations, including the former ' ! enemy Powers, and has taken the i initiative in efforts to secure a reduction and limitation of armaI nients. Unfortunately, it can no longer '■ be assumed that the existing ' international political machinery ' will be sufficient in all cases to maintain peace, and although the Government intends to pursue without intermission a national policy of oeace it can no longer close its eyes • to the fact that adequate defences are stil! required for security and to enable the British Empire to play its full part in maintaining world peace. Strength of Armaments In recent years there has been a steady decline in the effective strength of British sea and land armaments, while the British people have virtual]v disarmed themselves In the air. Since the Great War, j British Governments have deliber- . ately taken the risk of inadequate j armaments rather than endanger I any promising effort to consolidate , oeace. but it lias been repeatedly i stated that a policy of unilateral dis- | armament could not be pursued in- j .definitely, and it is now clear that ! the diminishing of British security ' has not contributed to general disarmament, i In 1934 it became clear that the ; -onclusion of a disarmament agreement would be a long and difficult task. Germany had given notice of her withdrawal from the League of J '■ Nations and the Disarmament Con-: ference, and was rearming openly ; on a large scale. Japan had given notice of her ■ withdrawal from the League, and all the larger Powers were adding; to their armed forces Examination had shown that un'o~s the serious deficiencies in the British defence requirements were - remedied, it would not be possible, j in the face of aggression, to secure! our sea communications, maintain j our food supplies and defend the; population from air attack. i Moreover, the deterrent effect of j the Locarno treaties and other j ! methods of collective security is j j weakened by the knowledge that j the British contribution, if needed,. i cou'd have little decisive effect. Ac-! ' cordinplv. the Government has no j : alternative but to draw up a co- I ordinated programme for recondi- j ! Honing its forces and defences. j Modern Equipment j In the case of the Navy and Army i '.he programme mainly involved the j ' essential supply of modern equip- : ment. adequate personnel and re- j : --erves. Tn the case of the Royal Air j Force alone was an appreciable in- - crease of units thought immediately : necessary. ; In November. 1934, his Majesty's Government, without condoning the breach of the Treaty of Versailles, drew public attention to German ! "(.'armament. If this rearmament | continues at the present rate, the ; existing anxieties of Germany's .' neighbours will be increased and peace itself may be imperilled. ; The desire for peace expressed by j the German leaders has been vvel- ; corned by his Majesty's Government, , '. but it cannot fail to recognise that ; ', not only the forces but the spirit ' ! in which the German people are be- , ing organised will contribute to the ; general feeling of insecurity. i Further, the Government could : ; not overlook the Increase in arma- i ments throughout the world —in I ! Russia. Japan, the United States, and i :-l?ewhere. I The first line of defence continues ; *.o be the Navy, which alone can | maintain the sea communications i ; essentia J to the existence of the | ' -rv">try and Empire. j The strength rf the Navy is lim- ; : ited bv treaties dv- for reconsider- > <tion this year. The Government ■ '. hopes to secure an arrangement j .that will avoid competition in naval; ! armaments while leaving Great Bri- j j'ain free to maintain her fleet at j ; '.he strength necessary for her essen- : Hal requirements j The Fleet The fleet must be kept up to date in aU respects and the age of British capital ships, which remain the decisive element in British naval strategy, necessitates their replacement soon. The defences of the fleet bases and commercial ports require ; •modernisation bv concerted action . j/ctween the three services. The 15 Army estimates have to bear the heaviest burden of coastal defence ' arid provide for a large expansion of ■mti-aircraft defences. Moreover, the Armv needs to be modernised by the provision of essential equipment. The Royal Air Force has to 1 nrovide for the protection of the United Kingdom against air attack, :'or i/eneral defence purposes in the . Middle East. India and the I'cr Kast. for co-operation in coastal de- , i'encp and for the maintenance of a general reserve in the United Kingdom. 1 Technical development in the air increasingly exposes Great Britain j ; to attack and from the viewpoint of \ air defence the integrity of certain territories across the Channel is increasingly vital to British interests Simultaneously with the defensive orcparatijn of the British armed ; \ forces the Government intends to 'develop precautionary measures for ( the protection of the civil popula- . tion and essential services against, the effects of bombing from the air. ; The White Paper concludes by • emphasising that the proposed de-
fence policy is elastic and subject to constant review and adjustment in any direction which circumstances will demand. His Majesty's Government mu!n' • 's its confidence in the ultimate ;.- ' of peace. I"! methods and adheres to its primary aim of consolidating peace, but in the existing conditions additional expenditure on defence can no longer be safely postponed.
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Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21415, 6 March 1935, Page 11
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1,021REASONS FOR THE INCREASE Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21415, 6 March 1935, Page 11
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