'A vigorous defence of the Govern ment's proposal to raise a loan of, £400,000,000 to build up Great Bue {nin's fighting strength was made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, in reply Labour and Liberal criticisms in the course of the debate in the House of Commons yesterday.
The loan, the Chancellor declared, was for the preservation. of peace. Everybody Knew that the British Empire stood for peace and would never use its forces for aggressive purposes, It would always exert its Influence to preserve peace, not only for itself but for all others as well, 'The Government, -he said, knew' from its own experience that' British influence waxed and waned with British strength. The strength of, Great Britain, "which was rapidly gaining from day to day and from week to week, was in itself a steadying factor in the world.
First criticism of the Government's proposal yesterday came from. Mr, Pethick Lawrence, Financial Secretary to the Treasury inthe last Labour administration,
ning Britain's plans to up to a riicioed the White Pope, on '£.1,300,000,000 on re-armament during the next five years, on the ground that. It revealed' neither considered. connection between the Government's defence programme and its Interna-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.