GERMANY “LEFT COLD”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1939, Page 5

GERMANY “LEFT COLD”

MR HORE-BELISHA’S SPEECH TALK OF LANDING TROOPS SURPRISING. RELIANCE ON WESTERN DEFENCES. i By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. BERLIN, March 9. A Government spokesman said today that he was surprised that Mr HoreBelisha even mentioned the landing of troops on the Continent in view of Herr Hitler’s repeated statements that Germany has no territorial claims against France. He added that even the combined British and French strength was insufficient to smash Germany’s western defences and that, therefore, Mr HoreBelisha’s words “left Germany cold.” COMMENT IN ROME. SPEECH AGAINST ITALY & GERMANY. ROME, March 9. The statement by Mr Hore-Belisha is considered here to be directed against Italy and Germany. Introducing the Army Estimates in the House of Commons, Mr HoreBelisha recalled Mr Chamberlain’s statement that he felt “bound to make it plain that the solidarity of interest by which France and this country are united is such that any threat to the vital, interest of France, from whatever quarter it came must evoke the immediate co-operation of this country.” That declaration, said the Minister, was of greater significance than any which had preceded it, and made it incumbent on the Government to con’sider and prepare for use a field force in certain eventualities. “The conversations between ourselves and the French,” Mr HoreBelisha added in part, “have not committed us in this respect, but prudent minds should be ready for any eventuality,” he said. “If we are involved in war our contribution and the ways in which we can best make it will not be half-hearted nor upon any theory of limited liability. “We have on our side made plans —plans of great detail . We have made a calculation of the shipping requirement. The principle which we lay down is this: in order that it may be possible for us to deliver our maximum. effort in a Continental war, should the need arise, the productive arrangements we should make in peace, together with the accumulated and the new capacity which could be created and brought into operation, must be sufficient to equal and maintain each echelon of the force as it is deployed. “By the time the last of the serial dates is reached, the new forces should be trained and the necessary additional provision for their equipment and maintenance made.”