Rome, Mar. 8.
Reports that Haile Selassie received an offer from the Italian Government inviting him to return to Abyssinia, were emphatically denied officially here yesterday afternoon in a statement characterizing the report as an "absurd lie."—Trans-Ocean.
In a lengthy review of the activities of the Minister for the Co-Ordination of Defence. Sir Thomas Inskip, Mr. Chamberlain said that the ce-ordination which, before his appointment, did exist, had been greatly strengthened and improved by Sir Thomas Inskips efforts. In particular there had been a great speedvp in planning and strategy. Never before had planning for strategic purposes been brought to so advanced a stage.
The Prime Minister went on to describe the comprehensive enquiry made to establish the relationship of ihe defence programme to the available resources of man-power, productive capacity and finance.
All these factors were closely cot nected with the credit of the country and the general trade balance, and needed to be weighed with special care to avoid undue interference with ordinary business in peace time.
The Government, Mr. Chamberlain indicated, adhered to the opinion that interference with industry should be a minimum essential because wars were not only won by arms and men but with reserves of resources and credit.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.