R. A. F. AS MOST FORMIDABLE DETERRENT TO WAR
London, Oct. 2.
British Government intended proceeding with its re-armament plans, whatever the opposition might be, declared Mr. Neville Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in a lengthy. address to-day before the Conservative Party Congress at Margate.
one, he said, could pretend that the British Government had not given disarmament a fair chance, both by precept and practice, "but, since no one else followed our example, we should have failed in our duty if we had not taken steps to repair our deficiencies."
When the re-armament programme is completed," Mr. Chamberlain proceeded, "we shall once more have a Navy adequate to protect vital lines of communications, an Army trifling in numbers compared with the vast conscript armies on the Continent but equipped with the most modern weapons and mechanical devices; and an Air Force which, in speed, range, power of machine, quality and personnel, will be second to none.
The development of aviation, he said, had to some extent deprived Britain of her Insular position, and the possibilities of what a war might mean to her civilian population were very present in "the Government minds.
"Bui," he continued, "let us not Jorget that those posstbillifes are even more present to the minds of other nations. I. can imagine mo more sobering thought to any ruler who might "be contemplating aggression against a neighbour than the know-Jedge that, within a few hours, his action might be followed by rotalia for from a force of such terrify striking power as our new alr force will possess, regard our alr force as the most formidable deterrent to war that could be. devised, I support its establishment with greater convietion and enthusiasm,: because everyone knows that it will never be sed to make an unprovoked attack against any other country."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.