CIVIL DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 November 1938, Page 5

CIVIL DEFENCE

HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE NEW MINISTER’S SPEECH NOT A PARTY POLITICIAN (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, November 3. Sir John Anderson, in his first speech as Minister of Civilian Defence, expressed the opinion that the evacuation policy must be worked out without delay. Shelters must be more numerous and there must be regional planning. He regarded the effective utilisation of man power for the purposes of national defence as the biggest problem. In conclusion, he said, he was not, and never would be, a party politician. Dr Hugh Walton (Labour) wound up for the Opposition and Mr Hore Belisha, Minister of War, replied for the Government. The Minister said that henceforward the country must pay the same attention to its antiaircraft defences as it had always paid to the maintenance of the fleet. He dealt in detail with the recent development of the anti-aircraft defence force both in respect to personnel and equipment. Referring in particular to the 3.7-inch gun, over which there had been much criticism, he said that the whole enlarged anti-aircraft defence force of five divisions would be substantially provided for by the middle of 1939, and, considering that the design of the gun was only finally approved in the middle of 1937, this would constitute a record production comparing favourably to anything previously done in any country even in war time.

The disadvantage of producing a new gun was that it induced an impression that the existing equipment was obsolete, but actually the threeinch gun was an accurate weapon, having the same first control equipment as the new gun. He mentioned that the bulk of anti-aircraft activity in Spain had been at heights well within the range of the three-inch gun. Mr Hore-Belisha mentioned that there was being put into operation a 4.5 inch gun which would further strengthen the anti-aircraft armament. -He hoped those allotted the 3.7 guns would not consider them obsolete, as the 3.7 inch gun was as complementary to the 4.5 inch gun, as the three inch gun to the 3.7 inch