BRITAIN PREPARES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 January 1939, Page 7

BRITAIN PREPARES

THE NATIONAL SERVICE CALL

ADDRESSES BY MINISTERS. HOPES OF AVERTING WAR. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 9.52 a.m.) RUGBY. January 25. A universal call to national service is addressed to the nation in Mr. Neville Chamberlain's foreword to the National Service Guide, the delivery of which began today. He writes: “The desire of all of us is to live at peace with our neighbours. But to secure peace we must be strong. The country needs your service and you are anxious to play your part. This guide will point the way.” There also is a foreword by Sir John Anderson (Minister-in-Charge of Civilian Defence) who urges: “If your wish to live at peace with all peoples is to be fulfilled, we must make ourselves strong so that our influence for peace may be real, and we must make ourselves safe so that others cannot be tempted to thoughts of aggression against us."

The appeal for national service has the fullest support of all sections of the community and all political parties were represented at an inaugural rally in the Albert Hall, at which the Lord Mayor of London presided. It was attended by 9000 people, including volunteers and all the civilian defence services, drawn from every London borough. Sir John Anderson, who was the principal speaker, emphasised that “the preparations we are making do not mean that we expect war. While we have unfortunately to reckon with the possibility of war, we do not expect war, either now or in the near future. We hope it may never come, but we recognise that the surest method of averting war is to be prepared.”