he White Paper which has been issued the British Government on the subject of rearmament shows that the huge programme, which has been undertaken, has, on' the whole, made vapid and efficient progress to stich an extent that, while the completion of the whole scheme will still take a year or two, Britain is in a better position to defend herself than she has been for a very long time past, It Particularly gratifying to note thatthe naval roxramme has progressed at such a rate that during this present year 60 vessels of all classes will Be put into service, while in addition to those already on the stocks a further 21 of all classes will be Inid down by the end of the year. In addition three capital ships are in hand for modernization. The same results are being achieved in the development of the army ant the air arm and the confidence with which the Fearmament scheme was embarked upon. has been fully justified, There have, itis true, been occasional hitches, but it is happily the case that Great Britain is in a much better position {to protect her interests now than she has been for an uncomfortably long time past and tha: as the months pass the rate of progression increases with great rapidity. There ig still much time to be passed before the Five Year Rearmiament Plan is actually completed; that will not the until 1941, but the eMiciency which the Government and its experts have shown Indleate that"by the end of that year Britain will be equipped with excellent means of self-defence, all the more important because most of it has been provided by other countries over a longer period of years. The cost is undoubtedly arear. It is stated that the original estimate of £1,500,000,000, mentioned in the White Paper of February 1937, will be ceeded. That wil be regretted by all those who realize the intolerable waste of money which these armament competitions require, but when the realities of the situation are squarely faced, it is apparent that, things being as they are, it would be the height of folly to spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.