“ALL OUR RESOURCES”

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

“ALL OUR RESOURCES”

BACKING FOR FRANCE IF ATTACKED ASSURANCE IN BRITISH COMMONS [ British Official Wireless. ] Received Feb. 22, 6.30 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 21. At the end o£ his speech in the Commons defence debate, Mr. Winston Churchill, having welcomed the Premier's recent declaration of solidarity with France and urged new staff talks, said the British Empire, once engaged in a life and death struggle and supported by the conscience of its people, would hold nothing back from the common cause. In another world war, Britain and the Empire would engage not only with a naval, air and military force, but with all the manhood of the British Empire and if that were known beforehand it would be a strong deterrent against the dangers they wished to avoid. Britain ought, he thought, to have available in the first few months a military force larger than anything of which they had yet heard, with behind it all the necessary munition arrangements. What was to be done with the force was another matter. Mr. L. S. Amery, who spoke later, supported Mr. Churchill with the suggestion that there ought to be developed as rapidly as possible a substantial reserve of 200,000 men, with at least six months’ training. For the Liberals, Mr. Mander contended that until the Government returned to the League policy there was no hope of international unity. Mr. A. V. Alexander wound up for the Opposition. He said the country was asked for a financial sacrifice whiijh would put the nation in bondage for three generations and it had been brought to that position by the moral cowardice of the Government in the seven years it had had control of foreign policy. He complained of the profits made by aircraft firms. The Government's Reply Winding up the debate for the Government, Mr. W. S. Morrison said that the defence measures did not connote that the Government subscribed to the inevitability of war. He assured Mr. Churchill that the French and British staff talks were continuing, naturally covering the respective roles to be played in the first stages of a conflict. If France were attacked the Government was fully agreed that Britain could not proceed on the principle of limited liability. "All our resources would have to be thrown in. The only question is how they can be used most effectively,” he said.

Mr. Morrison added that he was convinced of the Government’s determination to use the full resources of the people for peace, supported not only by the British but also by millions throughout the world. The Labour amendment was defeated by 310 votes to 127.