HEADED FOR RUIN

Evening Star, Issue 22448, 19 September 1936, Page 27

HEADED FOR RUIN

SCIENCE DIRECTED TO DESTRUCTION WAR LIKELY WITHIN YEAR MARIST BROTHER SURVEYS EUROPEAN TURMOIL [Special to the ‘ Stai:.’] INVERCARGILL, September 18. “It is ' a poor commentary on our civilisation and our Christianity that the nations aro directing all the resources of modern science towards the destruction of human life and property.” That was the summing up of a survey of world conditions by the Rev. Bro. Clement, assistant-general of the Marist Order, in an interview to-day. 13ro. Clement, an Australian, is one of eight assistant-generals who are each allotted certain parts of the world, and his territory is the most expansive, covering all the English-speaking countries with the exception of the United States. He makes a tour of the Marist Brothers’ schools every four years. He left Italy on April 20, and visited Fiji and Samoa, arriving at Auckland at the beginning of August. Ho will work back through the schools to Auckland, where the Marist Brothers assemble for a retreat. He leaves for Australia in January, and in September or October will continue his tour to South Africa, returning to Southampton on the way to his headquarters at the end of next year, or early in 1938. He will have been absent two years in all. He has found the’ schools to be making splendid progress in all countries. SPANISH RISING AGAINST COMMUNISM. “ We are naturally much concerned with Spanish affairs,” he stated. “There are 1,500 to 2,000 brothers in Spain, and they are in most of the places where heavy fighting is taking place, so we are prepared for anything at all.” Bro. Clement said he had correspondence with Spain, [but that had now stopped, and hedid not know what might be happening. He attributed the rising to the fact that what were termed the rebels were making a stand against Communism—a Government which had been put there by Russian money—and he added that for the past few years Russian influence had been great in Spain, Russian money and Russian guns being plentifully supplied. MUSSOLINI A GREAT STATESMAN. Conditions in Italy had _ improved wonderfully from both a social and religious point of view, he replied in answer to questions regarding _ that country. Taxation was high, as it was in most countries. “Mussolini is a great statesman —to my mind one of the greatest in the world to-day. I say this though I do not approve of the way he does things. The people have not a great deal of liberty, but Mussolini is using his autocratic powers as wisely as any autocrat can do. He is a strong man, and will continue to do good if he can regulate his strength, but he will undo himself if, like Napoleon, he wants to rule the world.” The visitor referred to projects carried out to improve the country, and mentioned the draining of the Pontine Marshes, which for years had been a scourge. Now three splendid cities were built on what had been disease-breeding swamps. “There is a Fascist army in Italy and a Royalist army, and neither one has a great love for the other.”He stated, in speaking of military affairs and the Abyssinian conquest, that he did not hold with the methods of annexing that country, and it was only a massacre when one country with all the'resources of modern armaments was opposed to another whose only defence . was its native courage. Ihe moral aspect so often quoted by other countries was scarcely an argument, for all these countries had annexed colonies in exactly the same way. . . Sanctions, ho added,_ had only irritated Italy without doing the League of Nations any good. WAR PREDICTED. “ Italy will have to expand, and Germany will have to expand; their populations are too great to be selfsustained. The whole of Europe is in a turmoil, and if I get back before war breaks out, I shall be ; very, much surprised.” All the nations are secretly arming. Mussolini stated publicly six or eight months ago that the munition factories were going night and day. Every nation is secretly arming, and new scientific devices are being tried and_ tested purely for the destruction of life and property. “ We hear about a death-ray and a ray for stopping engines. There • was a trial of ich a thing in Italy - at which Marconi was present, but we hear nothing about it. All the nations are doing the same. We are heading for complete disaster, and the only thing that is deterring one nation from starting the upheaval is that it does not know what the other nation has up its sleeve.”