Evening star., 1940-04-04
By the Associated Press.

began because Adolf Hitler missed
the bus" by failing to use the arms
superiority Germany had at the
start.
The Prime Minister spoke before
the Conservative Party Council
AfterWard he announced that a
secret session of the House of Com
mons would be arranged for next
Thursday to debate the govern
ment's economic warfare policies.
The only previous secret session dur
ing this war was December l3 and
was followed-almost a month
later by the removal of Leslie Hore-
Belisha as war secretary.
Britain still is building up her
strength, Mr.. Chamberlain declared,
while Germany is close to the limits
Of her strength.
Mr.. Chamberlain hinted at I'm
pending new measures to make the
allies blockade of Germany escape
proof.
"You can take it from me-" he
said, that one by one leaks ard
loopholes are being stopped ard
that as the war goes on that stran-
Cling effect will more and more
drain the lifeblood out of our en-
emy."
No Shortage of Food.
On the other hand. the Prime
Minister declared, there is no short
age of food in Britain.
"If sometime later on we want to
save shipping space for war mate
rials or if we want to restrict de-
mands upon our foreign exchange
we may have to do without some
things that we have been used to,
but we can stand a lot of curtail-
ment yet without feeling any the
worse for it" he said.
He said consideration for neutrals
had hampered the allies blockade,
but warned that cit cannot be ex-
pected that we should allow Get
many indefinitely to profit by our
scrupulousness and to draw aid and
comfort from neutrals who are not
free agents and who know IN their
hearts, whatever they may say. that
our victory spells freedom for them,
whereas our defeat would doom
them to slavery"
The recent British French decla-
ration of a closer alliance gave the
''best assurance" that I'VE shall not
be cheated out of the fruits of vic
tory and that the essential elements
of European security will be avail
able to us when the war is over" he
told the council.
when we embarked upon this
war;" he said, II felt we should be
bound to win it. After seven
months of war, I feel 10 times as
confident as I did at the begin
ming"
Never So United.
The Prime Minister said he be-
lieved that never before in all Great
Britain's history had the nation
been 80 completely united upon
the broad aims of our policy and
upon our determination to carry on
this fight until we have achieved
our purpose"
He praised the decision of the
political parties to lay aside party
strife as far as possible 'in order
to concentrate on winning the
war"
"I do not claim that the gov
ernment should be exempt from
criticism" he declared, "but I do
feel that as we are all agreed as
to what we want out Of this war,
the government of the day is en-
titled to claim general support for
it's war policy"
Hitler's failure to take advantage
of his initial superiority and to make
an endeavor to overwhelm us ano
France before we had time to make
good our deficiencies" he called q
every extraordinary thing"
Full Strength Not Reached.
1--WE must admit do admit
that we have not yet succeeded In sc
bringing work and workers together
as to make full use of our existing
manpower," Mr.. Chamberlain said
THAT means we have not reached
our full strength. We are making
great efforts to do So"
OF Germany's failure to strike
hard at the beginning, MIR. Cham.
berlain declared it might have beer
''that Hitler thought that he might
get away with what he had got
without fighting for it or that
after all, preparations were not sui
6ciently completed. ="
The seven months of war, he said
have enabled the allies to "mak'
good and remove our weaknesses
to consolidate and tune up every
arm, offensive and defensive, and 81
enormously to add to our fighting
strength that we can face the fu'
ture with calm, whatever it brings
He continued:
IT would be the last to underrat.
the enemy's strength or his deter
mination to use that strength with
out scruple and without mercy Il
he thinks he can do so without get
ting his blows returned with inter
est.
Il say this, too-the very COM
pleteness of his preparations has
left him little margin of strength
to call upon"
The Prime Minister declared tha'
Germany "has not any real friene
in the world" and that leaks ane
loopholes in Britain's blockade o1
Germany are being mended.
"Our victory" he declared, spell!
freedom.
II ask you to bear in mind thai
this is q war of will and the will
to conquer. put my faith in thu
courage and tenacity Of our race
which has never failed"