1938-04-20 — Page 10

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THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 20, 1938.

The China Mail

Ninety-Third Year of Publication SA Wyndham Street, Hong Kong,

Telephone 20022.

London Office:

Disraeli said England could not go on raising in peace-time with impunity!

Such is the sense of insecurity, and such the pressure of rearma- ment, that the ability of the fight- ling services to spend the money, and not the capacity of the Chan- cellor to provide it, has become

7, Garrick Street, London, W.C.2 the measure of the budgetary

Notice To Contributors.

provision for defence. John Mor- ley says of Gladstone, in the struggles of 1860, that he was All communications intended for

keen, from the lessons of experi- indes- publication should be addressed to jence, to expose the ever

tructible fallacy that mighty armaments make for peace.".

the Editor, and be accompanied by the Writer's Name and Address, There is an even more dangerous

not necessarily for insertion

as a guarantee of good faith.

Subscription Bates.

3 Months

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fallacy, and that is that a wealthy but nation can procure peace by the

was 10-

example of laying aside its arms. Britain tried this experiment after the War. There response. She fell behind in the European armaments race to the point of actual danger. Now she is grimly endeavouring to over- take arrears by an expenditure so prodigious that even the £1,500 millions provisionally allotted for between defence requirements 1937 and 1941 is expected to be insufficient. The vastness of the burden of Empire defence which Britain has thus assumed is still Hong Kong, Wednesday, April 20, 1938 arousing questionings whether

One Year ... HK$36.00

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THE HIGH COST OF ARMING

are

the Cabinet is doing enough to provide for protection. We rebuilding the defences which were allowed to fall into disrepair during the depression, but effort may safely be assumed to be no greater than others are

"I speak a literal truth," Glad- Istone wrote to Cobden in 1860, making with less clamour

our

and

hen say that in these days publicity.

The figures quoted in the recent it is more difficult to save a shill-White Paper are nevertheless im- million."pressive as reflecting not only the financial

ing than to spend a

Ein-

"The ment

is

ex-

There was then, as now, a threat- immensity of Britain's lening international outlook, the resources but the energy, resoln- tion and resource of her people in only difference being that France face of a challenge to their safety There and interests. The enormous was the potential enemy. was then, as there is to-day, fight-rearmament effort, now well on the way to fulfilment, is the ing in China. Britain, in despite

answer te enemies who glibly pro- of the crowned heads of Europe,nounced Britain decadent and her was holding out the hand of world-wide possessions ripe fruit friendship to an Italy newly won for plunder. Once more she to independence and unity, as it prepared to defend herself and maintain her rights at home and has now achieved an armistice-abroad. Yet, despite the wealth like understanding with an Italy that is being poured out on sold- iers and ships and aeroplanes, which has lately seized an

Britain's intentions remain pire. Palmerston, the Prime Min-tirely pacific. The White Paper ister, was pressing for heavy ex-mentions that the cost of future penditure on fortifications, and defence plans will depend upon the degree of success which at- Gladstone, his Chancellor of the tends the efforts of the Govern- Exchequer, was stubbornly be- ment to achieve some appease- in international affairs. grudging every penny. whole question," he noted in his Without rearmament those efforts assuredly would have been fore- be satisfied doomed to failure. If Britain had diary, is, can we with twenty-one millions for Army approached the triple-armed dic- and Navy instead of twenty-tator countries without weapons at her back, she would have been seven?". Twenty-one millions is snubbed for her pains. To-day almost precisely the amount which she can negotiate on a basis of Britain is planning to borrow equality. She has won respect as alone for Army expenditure only well as security, though the price has been and is terrific. Disraeli, during the coming financial year. in the speech already quoted, It is roughly one-fifth of the total said that if England could not go of the Army expenditure. It is on raising £70 millions a year in a little more than one-seventeenth peace-time, no country could. Neither Britain nor any other of the total of £352 millions of nation can continue spending £350 defence expenditure contemplat-millions a year on armaments; ed during 1938-39. National ex-the alternatives are international impoverishment and bankruptcy penditure as a whole, largely un-

or war. If Mr. Chamerlain can der the stimulus of defence re-find a way out of this crucial quirements, will for the first time dilemma he will deserve the grati- tude not only of the Empire, but exceed $1,000 millions in the com-

of all mankind. We are left won- ing year, the increase alone over dering whether the pe nhar for- 1997-38 being nearly equal toimula of the Anglo-Italian Pact that sum of 270 millions which contributes anything to that end.