“HEALTHY GROWL”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 November 1938, Page 7

“HEALTHY GROWL”

MR WINSTON CHURCHILL’S APPEAL NEED OF ROUSING BRITISH GOVERNMENT. DANGERS SEEN IN DRIFT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. LONDON, November 17. Mr Winston Churchill stirred the House with a powerful speech in the course of the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Commons, appealing to Conservatives to rouse the Government by voting for the motion for the set-ting-up of a Ministry of Supply. “If only 50 voted with the Opposition,” he said, “it would not affect the life of the Government, but would make it act.” Raising his voice, he cried: “One healthy growl from these benches three years ago and how different would have been production! Alas, it was not forthcoming. We drifted on, but the question tonight is sharply and brutally defined.” Would they continue drifting, he asked, and he argued that the original re-armament programme was below a third of what was then needed. The programme had been extended and deliveries from both the original and the supplementary programmes were lagging, in some instances being 12 months behind. In the meantime other nations were expanding. He believed that Germany in the past four years’had manufactured 7000 anti-aircraft guns. The equpiment of the British regular army remained deplorable. Mr Churchill again urged a secret session. His speech was received with general cheers.