HC Deb 01 May 1935 vol 301 cc345-8
1. Mr. COCKS

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is now in a position to make a further statement regarding the present strength of the German air force?

The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir John Simon)

I cannot add anything to-day to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chester (Sir C. Cayzer) on 3rd April.

Mr. COCKS

Has the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been called to the statement that the Germans now have a superiority in the air, and can he confirm that?

Sir J. SIMON

That question, I think, could be referred to in the Debate to-morrow.

5. Mr. COCKS

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he is yet in a position to give the House any information regarding the re-opening of the German submarine training college at Kiel which was closed in 1918?

The FIRST LORD of the ADMIRALTY (Sir Bolton Eyres Monsell)

No, Sir. We have no information on the subject.

Mr. COCKS:

Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm the statement that it was opened on 1st October, 1933, that is to say before Germany left the Disarmament Conference?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

Yes, Sir, our information is that this establishment which is called a submarine defence college, was opened at that time.

Mr. PIKE

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the students of Ruskin College are taught by chart rather than upon a basis of facts?

8. Mr. COCKS

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether he can give the House any further information regarding the construction of submarines by the German Government?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

The British naval attaché at Berlin was informed on the 26th April by the German authorities that the order to manufacture machinery, armament, etc., for 12 250-ton submarines was given at Christmas; and the order to construct the hulls and assemble the component parts was given about the middle of April. He was also informed that as the result of extensive preparations which had been made, the first submarines would probably be completed within six months.

Mr. COCKS

Has the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been called to the statement that the Germans were building submarines more than a year ago and that some of those submarines are over 1,000 tons displacement, and has he any information to confirm that statement?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

No, Sir. We have heard many statements, but we have no information on the subject.

Captain PETER MACDONALD

Can the right hon. Gentleman say what is the effective range of these 250-ton submarines—approximately?

Sir B. EYRES MONSELL

I think it would be very premature to say. I have no information about their construction whatsoever.

Mr. THORNE

Does not the right hon. Gentleman think the time has arrived to abolish the construction of submarines, and is he not aware that but for the opposition of France this might have been agreed to?

Mr. KIRKWOOD

Arising from the original answer, is it not the case that if the Government here were in earnest they could not build submarines in Germany, because we hold control of 90 per cent. of the nickel of the world, and the Germans have neither copper nor tin in their country and have to import it?

46. Mr. MORGAN JONES

asked the Prime Minister whether his article on Peace, Germany and Stresa, in a weekly journal, on the responsibility accruing to the German Government for the failure of peace negotiations, represents the policy of His Majesty's Government?

The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. Ramsay MacDonald)

The Government views on the effect of Germany's recent actions as regards military claims, both as to methods and amounts, have been expressed at Stresa and Geneva and indicated in this House in speeches both by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and myself. The article referred to in the question is substantially on the lines of these statements, and does represent the views of His Majesty's Government.

Mr. THORNE

Does not the right hon. Gentleman think he has put the cat among the pigeons once again?

Mr. JONES

Does not the Prime Minister consider that it was against the public interest to publish the article that he did in the periodical to which I have referred?

The PRIME MINISTER

I consider that it was in the public interest.

Mr. MANDER

Is not this one of the best articles that the Prime Minister has written for a long time?

Mr. COCKS

Is the Prime Minister aware that this is the first thing that he has done since 1931 which has met with a certain amount of approval from some of my colleagues?