Defence Critics

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 5

Defence Critics

(British Offioial Wireiesa.)

DEBATE IN HOUSE "Cf sons of Sound Finance Violated" FOREIGN POLICY FAILURE

(Received 19, 12.45 p.m.) RUGBY, Feb. 18. In the House of Coinmons the debate •n defence was continued to-day. Ifr Alexander argued, first, that the aeed for a itearmaments programme wqia due to opportunities lost in past years by the Qovernment in the sphere of foreign polieyj secondly, that no evidence was forthcqming that the Government was obtaining proper value for the expenditnre on whieh they were fahing Parliament to embaris, and, tbiidly, that the method of raising jqoney by loans for such expenditure violated the canons of sound finance, Yrhioh had been used by its political ppponeuts a* weapqns againat Mr MaePtonaid'a Gqvernment in 1931. Sir Thomas Inskip, Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence, remarked on the fact that nq speqker had question§d a single item on the programme of rearmament set out in the Wffite Pa* per. An opposition speaker later in the debate said that, although the Labour Party must vote against the loans proppsal, tp.ll sides of the House. were United in making the defences of tha country adequate. Dr. Dalton asked whether the Domijrions were going to contribute to the foxnmon cosf and also whether addir tional cqntributmns were in sight. from' |he. colonies defended. Mr Neville Chamberlain, intervening, aaid: ' ' Britain has not got a singio partieular Power for an enemy nor are we in" alHance with other Powers on whese aid we can count. We must eon■ider a whole feries of hypothetical emergencies in which we may ffh opposed by this Or that Power. We will draw up a defence programme to make us feel as safe as possible against th'*3 hypothetical set of .circumstancep, ' ' Aecording- to Sir Archibald Sinelair, Ihe whold troubles of the world are due to Imperial preference. If he had his way he would probably soon have lost us the Empire. It is true we are dependent largely for supplies of essential materials on the Dptninions and in that sense, fherefore, the dispersal of the 'Dominions throughout the world idoes lay a special duty on the navy but "there is no intentioh to call on the Dominions to contrihute to the common fund. ' ' The Dominions hhve spent a great deal perfecting and improving their own defences and that is their contributiou to the common fund. No other form of contributipn is under discussion •t the present timo "