FOLLY OF ARMAMENTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 45, 23 February 1939, Page 7

FOLLY OF ARMAMENTS

PERSUADING OTHERS MUST BRING BANKRUPTCY GREAT BRITAIN’S DUTY TIME FOR CONFERENCE NOT YET OPPORTUNE [ British Official Wireless ] Received Feb. 22, 5.5 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 21. The suggestion that the vast competitive re-armament confronting the nations of the world was perhaps the result of misunderstanding, and an appeal to the Opposition to do nothing to increase such misunderstanding by captious criticism or suspicion, were two important points in the speech with which the Prime Minister opened the second day’s debate in the House of Commons on defence. The British armaments were for defence, and for defence alone, Mr. Chamberlain declared, and if it were true that others had no more intention of aggression than Britain had, then the conclusion to which they must all come was that the various national were piling up these ruinous armaments under a misunderstanding. “I am very much inclined to believe that there is a great deal of truth in that,” he added, and he went on to cite a well-known passage from Lord Grey on the way in which mutual fear begets mistrust and evil imaginings. Need for General Agreement. Mr. Chamberlain concluded his speech with the words: “While I cannot consent that we should relax our armaments in any degree until we can do so by general agreement with others who will do the same, Ido say that I feel it is our duty, and the duty of this Government in particular to watch for every opportunity that may come to try and persuade other Governments of the folly of the course we are all pursuing, and to put an end to a situation which, if it is persisted in, must bring bankruptcy to every country in Europe.” Earlier the Premier had drawn the serious attention of the House to the financial consequences of progressive re-armament. He referred to a suggestion made in yesterday’s debate that the Chancellor of the Exchequer might have to still further increase the borrowing powers for defence, and observed that the suggestion might possibly prove right. In addition to the cost of creating mighty armaments, they would in future have to provide for greatly augmented annual maintenance.

While not venturing upon a prophecy, Mr. Chamberlain raised the question whether the annual cost of the maintenance of these increased armaments, together with interest and sinking fund for defence loans, might not become more in the future than it would be possible to extract from the taxpayers out of current revenue. That was a serious prospect to which no one could look forward with a light heart, ?nd in his view it reinforced the fact that it would be criminal to allow the arms situation to go on developing as it had been developing as it l.ad been developing with out making some determined effort to put an end to it. Danger of Conference Failing. As to a suggestion for calling a conference on limitation or reduction of armaments, the difficulties were for th? present too great. “If I <ould believe such a conference would produce effective results at this moment,” he said, “1 would not hesitate to call it, but a conference which failed would be worse than no conference ta all, and I feel that before it is possible to anticipate success from such a conference we must be sure that those who come to it would come with good will and with determination to produce the desired results. I do not feel that we have thi scnnfidence established yet to make that conference a practical proposition at this moment.” To Mr. J. Maxton, who intervened to ask Mr. Chamberlain if the spirit of good will which he considered necessary for the success of a conference had been present when he went to Berchtesgaden, Godesberg, and Munich—peace efforts by the Premier for supporting which Mr. Maxton incurred the criticism of his Independent Labour Party colleagues—Mr. Chamberlain replied: “I think those who went to the conference at Munich went there with the intention of making that conference a success, and if I could think that a conference for disarmament would come to the same satisfactory conclusion now I should be the first to advocate it, but we have this confidence estabconfidence before the time for such a conference has arrived.” This brought the Premier to his appeal for less suspicion at home regarding foreign countries. Amid Ministerial cheers, he continued: “Perhaps it would not be a bad thing if we ourselves were to show a little more confidence and not allow ourselves to believe every tale that comes to us about the aggressive intentions of others.”

PRESS SATISFACTION

CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH NO HEAVY RISE IN TAXES INDICATED [ British Official Wireless. ] Received Feb. 22, 6.30 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 21. The newspapers express satisfaction with Sir John Simon’s statement that of the £580,000,000 required for defence this year he has made the assumption that £230,000,000 will be available out of revenue, leaving £350,000,000 to be met out of loans account. This has been generally interpreted as an indication that no heavy increase in taxation is to be expected in the coming Budget. The Daily Telegraph says: “There

is no reason to fear that the Government is committing the country to a course of inflation or allowing expenditure to get out of hand. Borrowing may properly be said to be inflationary when a Government is com - pelled to resort to it in order to cover ordinary expenses of administration, but the expenditure now being incurred is extraordinary to the extent that it exceeds the future permanent maintenance cost of our increased defensive system, and there is no question that when the five-year programme of intensive rearmament is over we shall be able to meet this higher maintenance charge out of revenue. Appeal to Whole House The Premier added that he was making an appeal to the House as a whole. He was not making accusations against the Opposition, which he had never thought wanted war. In passages devoted to the progress of re-armament, Mr. Chamberlain said that the long effort of preparation and organisation was now at last beginning to bear visible fruit. In the last few months the output of weapons, equipment, and munitions of all kinds had shown a marked increase. Civil defence, which had been behind would catch up before long under the direction of Sir John Anderson. The Premier also paid a hign tribute to Lord Chatfield, observing that everyone would feel an added sense of security in the knowledge that a man with his particular gifts was in- | stalled at the very heart cf the national defence system.