ARMY ESTIMATES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 March 1939, Page 6

ARMY ESTIMATES

DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS OVERSEA OBLIGATIONS. FIRST INSTALMENT OF BILL FOR MUNICH. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.35 p.m.) RUGBY, March 14. The House of Commons tonight considered the Army estimates. Mr. H. B. Lees Smith, for the Labour Opposition, expressed concern that in the British and French Staff conversations no commitments, formal or implied, should be entered into which would prevent Britain, in the event of war, exercising her judgment as to the best use of the country’s resources. He raised the question whether collective thinking on problems of strategy would, ever be satisfactorily achieved until the service departments were fused in a Ministry of Defence. Mr Winston Churchill congratulated the Government on its decision to provide the Territorial Army with the same weapons and equipment as the Regular Army and to provide nineteen divisions for general service overseas should the occasion require it. He thought the last was a momentous decision. and described it as the first instalment of the bill for Munich. He was particularly concerned to know what steps were being taken to provide industrial arrangements which would ensure adequate supplies to the field force of nineteen divisions.

Mr Bellenger (Labour) wanted to know what the Government was proposing to do to create that sense of national unity which alone could provide the man-power and production they would need to oppose totalitarian warfare.

In the debate on the Army Estimates, Mr Leopold Amery praised the War Minister (Mr Hore-Belisha) for his decision to build up a strategical reserve at home. He doubted if nineteen divisions were sufficient.

Mr Hore-Belisha said he realised that the strength of the Army lay not only at Aidershot, but in factories. It would be necessary to expand productive capacity considerably. “Our infantry reserve is increasing,” he said, “but is insufficient to provide for requirements until after mobilisation. We have a technical reserve whose peace time vocation corresponds with that required in war time.”

He intended to announce an improvement in promotion from the ranks.