FRANCE RESOLVED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 May 1939, Page 7

FRANCE RESOLVED

NOT TO BE WORN DOWN COUNTRY A HUGE DEFENCE WORKSHOP. M. DALADIER’S CONFIDENT DECLARATION. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received This Day, 9.50 a.m.) PARIS. May 12. The Prime Minister, Al. E. Daladier, in the Chamber of Deputies, in giving evidence of France’s quickening rearmament, said 6,000 factories were employed on national defence projects, compared with between 2,500 and 2.800 last year. M. Daladier said that France today was a huge workshop in which a million men were working ceaselessly for national defence., “Our duty,” he said, “is to think of our country alone and to take those virile decisions which its safety demands.” Referring to recent pacts, M. Daladier said he invited all peaceful nations to collaborate, pointing out that France on March 20 took the initiative by informing Rumania that, if she was attacked, France would immediately assist her. France had also similarly assured Greece and, following the Anglo-Polish guarantee had given the same pledge to Poland. M. Daladier concluded: “There are those who are hoping that France, invincible when united, might be demoralised by alternate threats of war and promises of peace. They think they can wear us down by a new form of warfare without battle —the warfare of uncertainty, repeated anxiety and disappointed hopes. “If anyone hopes to wear us down, I say we shall stand fast as long as the peed exists. Neither force nor cunnihg shall prevail against France. The speech was broadcast in French, English, German, Italian, Serb, Croat, Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian and Arabic. The Minister for Finance, M. Paul Reynard, announced that complete financial stability had been achieved in all Government departs which were not national defence departments, the chief of which was the Ministry of Finance.