DEMANDS FOR ACTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 March 1940, Page 6

DEMANDS FOR ACTION

ALLIED POWERS MUST SHOW THEIR STRENGTH.

MR HORE-BELISHA'S CRITICISM.

(Received This Day, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON. March 19. In the House of Commons, Mr C. R. Attlee (Leader of the Opposition) said: “The initiative must not be left to Herr Hitler. We can’t have a policy of wait and see, Whether the war is long or short, there is no excuse for not strengthening the home front. There is need for drive and the Prime Minister must be ruthless against inefficiency. Neutral opinion is still favourable to Britain. If that is not evident among the rulers, it is so among the people. I want to see a War Cabinet that lays down war prin-

ciples and takes decisions.” Sir Archibald Sinclair (Liberal Loader said everybody was asking what Hitler and Stalin were going to do. It was time we asked what Chamberlain was going to do. The impression abroad was that Allies were good but weak, vacillating, slow and ineffective and that the Germans were evil, but vigorous and terribly efficient. Mr L. Hore-Belisha said powerful onslaughts could have broken the Russian attacks on Finland. None of the objections against the despatch of troops could have prevented sending Royal Air Force squadrons. The Allies had hesitated. The enemy had acted and Finland had been defeated. The effects in Europe were apparent in moves for new alignments. Britain and France were the strongest entities in the world and must show their strength.