The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-03

shaping new diplomatic defenses aimed to free herself from any commitments tQ France or anyone in wartime. She has a new foreign policy based on her independence, neutrality and impartiality toward her neighbors: This was one of the objects of King Leopold'S recent visit to London:
 Under a new military statute, bel- giIm maintains a mobile armed force of 5000 soldiers trained to bear the brunt of any attack pend- ing the mobilization of a supporting field army of about 65O,00O men.
 Eastern Frontier Fortified
 Her entire eastern frontier is strongly fortified, chiefly with steel and concrete underground forts. This year, Belgium is spending $66,- 312,0O0 on her army and other de- lenses and she has $25, ,603, 300 in her extraordinary budget also avail able.
 Austria is planning to raise loans equivalent to $5O,0OO, 900, of which $5,OO0,OOO will be devoted to addi- tional armamentS.
 Balkan Nations Rushing
 All the Balkan nations are rush. ing defense increases. Jugoslavia maintains 115,000 soldiers under arms but Premier Milan Stoyadin- witch said that country trained re- serves, the country could put l,000,- 900 men in the field. This years military budget totaled $57, ,318, ,000- nearly one fourth of the whole bud- get and about $1l,650,000 more than last year.
 Hungary, with only a small army of 35,000 men, raised her military budget $792,000 to a total of $19,- 324,8O0.
 Roumania, with 10000 men in her army, has total budget amounting to $19,240,000. She has an appropriation of $2,965, ,92O in her ordinary estimates as well as $1,- 535,5 for an extraordinary Jpend- ing program.
 Nations Are Wedged In
 The larger middle European na- tiorls-Poland and Czechoslovakia- are wedged in between powerful and mutually hostile neighbors in Germany and Soviet Russia. They occupy a dangerous situation the the event of war in which either neighbor is implicated.
 Poland's position is illustrated by a current joke in Warsaw that the Polish national salute now consists of the right hand raised in the Hitlerite salute and the left hand simultaneously raised in the com- munist clenched fist salute.
 Poland's Five Year Plan
 Poland has launched a five-year plan of extensive rearmament aided by new French loan of $l19, ,730, ,O00, to be spent largely for war mate rialJ in France. This year, she will Spead in her regular military bud- get $145, ,766, 400, plus $26,572,000 of the French loan besides $47, ,450, ,000 from her extraordinary armaments credit, totaling $219, ,788, ,400-or over half the total regular budget, the largest proportion in any nation ex- cert possibly Germany.
 Poland maintains 273,000 soldiers. Her new defense measures include 8 scheme for concentration of her na- tional war industries in the so-called "styategic triangle" in the middle of the country where water power, oil and gas are available. New roads, pipelines, power houses and railways must be built.
 Shifting vital industries from vul- nerable regions in upper Silesia will take 10 years. it is estimated, at a total cost of 50O.0OO,0O0. It is planned to spend $l50,000,000 this year.
 Czech0slovakia on Spot
 Czechoslovakia is an island of democracy in a sea of totalitarian regimes. Sometimes she is charac- terized as "the Belgium of the next war;" She is supplementing her al-