Armaments

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 186, 5 February 1914, Page 5

Armaments

A NOTABLE SPEECH.

BY SIR E. GREY. BRITAIN'S FOREIGN POLICY. ■By Cable—Press Association—Copyright London, February 4. 'Sir Edward Ore;, speaking at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce dinner, said the aim of the British foreign :policy was to keep ue country at peace without showing it was afraid of war. Great armament expenditure was a Euro--pean, and not a British question. Received 4. 10.5 p.m. Loi-don, February 4. Continuing- his speech, Sir E. Grey said:—"A day may come when the nation will rush to stamp out war between the contestants in the Balkan trouble. The Powers kept peace between themselves, and in so doing rendered the greatest service to Britain, whose froeign policy, not merely kept this country at peace, but sour:it to make the world's peace." "The enormous growing expenditure en armaments was not a British question, but a European one. It was impossible for Britain to be entirely free from naval expansions when there wer» tremendous increases throughout Europe. I .do not believe that if Britain suspended her programme altogether it would cause any alteration in Euros' J>ean ship-building. For us to make an enormous reduction in naval expendi iuie, when there was no sign of certainty that it would produce a corresponding effect «i Europe, would be staking too much on a gambling chance. T ; ic feeling against excessive expenditure i* stronger here than elsewhere, because, M a bnsiness nation, we penetrated the «en?e of its unproductiveness. Pressure of finanee is the only thing to bring home the desirability of diminishing .". probability of war, and keep the competition in armaments within Sounds. I'. Is to be hoped that we are approaching a time when such a pressure becomes prospective, so that it will make some aj.iecmcnt possible.

REDUCBD EXPENDITURE CALLED FOE. Received 4, 11.30 p.m. London, February 4. At the fourth meeting organised by the Reduction of Armaments Committee, the Bishop of Hereford moved that the amount spent on armaments was excessive, and the Govern ment should reduce it. Lord Courtney and several Liberal Commoners supported the motion, which was carried.