NO MAN'S LAND

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 92, 16 October 1934, Page 9

NO MAN'S LAND

SITUATION IN SAAR

Embittered conflict

LONDON, October 14.

The British United Press correspoi dent at Saarbrncken, writing of th. Saar, says that this "No Man's Land' is a battleground of conflict not less embittered because it was waged with spiritual weapons, including all the forces of suggestion such as fear, malice, and greed. Herr Jakob Pirro, the German leader, essentially a man of action, and the organiser and the orator, claims 480,000 adherents, of whom 80,000 are Gorman trade unionists. Later, ho was largely influenced by Herr Peter Kiefer, who is a Catholic, and admits that he only threw in his lot with German front after long debate. He has now decided that unless the Saar returns to Germany on January 13 it will ba an open sore. Tho trouble with tho anti-German faction is that it lacks_ a single dynamic leader and influential Press, while the anti-German policy is necessarily vague. It is not even! known whether the anti-German vote, in favour of maintaining the status quo will decide- the issue for all time or a further vote will be needed later. The most capable leader of the status quo policy is Herr Hoffman, editor of the "Nciie Saar Post." He believes that thirty per cent, of the voters favour a 'return, to Germany, thirty; favour tho status quo, and forty are still undecided.