Risks for Peace

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 930, 25 March 1930, Page 9

Risks for Peace

ARMY ESTIMATES LOWER Questions in Commons SERIOUS SHORTAGE OF RECRUITS British Official Wireless Received 1.33 p.m. RUGBY. Monday. fX The House of Commons, Mr. Tom Shaw, Secretary for 1 War. introduced the Army Estimates. He said they amounted to £40,500.000. showing a nett reduction of £605,000. The decrease in expenditure was £1.343.000, hut this was largely counterbalanced by a diminution in receipts of £735,000.

More than half the decrease was accounted for by a loss to the receipts to army funds from Germany through the evacuation of the Rhine. This loss in a full year would amount to £850,000. The actual number of forces, exclusive of India, was estimated at 148,900, compared with 641,000 in 1921. As regards the 60,000 men of the British Army in India, Mr. Shaw pointed out that actually there was one British soldier for every 5,000 of native population. He was afraid there were somewhat exaggerated opinions regarding the number of white troops in India. The Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, replying in the House of Commons to Mr. N. Angell (Labour), said the Government neither contemplated nor had discussed any abatement of its obligations under the Covenant of the League or the Treaty of Locarno. The Rt. Hon J. C. Wedgwood (Labour): Has the Government discussed any increase in those obliga lions? Mr. MacDonald asked for notice, as he was unprepared to give answers, which were sometimes crudely given. Sir L. Wortliington-Evans, following | Mr. Shaw, said the army recruiting problem ■was the most serious yet. They were 10,000 men short at Home and 4,000 in India. He believed the main causes were the expectation of a large increase in the unemployment benefit and general disarmament talk, j

“We might some time have to consider whether a man can be treated as unemployed when the State is ready to employ him as a soldier or sailor.” (Labour dissent.) Legislative compulsion was out of the ctuestion. If they could not compel they must attract. Probably the real reason for the falling off in recruiting was the uncertainty as to the ex-soldier's future. They must somehow train the soldier for a career after leaving the army. During service they should either be taught a trade or given a secondary education for a higher position when they left the army. Mr. W. G. Cove (Labour) moved declaring all warlike expenditure wasteful, and calling on the Government to realise its policy of disarmament. Mr. J. Brown seconded, and said Mr. MacDonald had demanded that risks should be taken in the cause of peace. The army estimates had only taken one per cent. risk. Mr. E. Shinwell (Labour) vigorously attacked the back-benchers for supporting au academic policy, which was not practical politics. The Labour Party’s policy, he said, was disarmament by international agreement, and not by theatrical and foolish gestures. Mr. G. Mander (Liberal): The Government must press forward to Geneva and call on all Governments to honour their disarmament pledges. Mr. Cove’s amendment was defeated by 274 votes to 21.