NAZI TRADE BAIT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20042, 14 September 1939, Page 6

NAZI TRADE BAIT

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE COMPLETION OF CONQUEST BRITISH SCEPTICISM GERMAN BUYING ABILITY (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 1.50 p.rn. RUGBY. Sept. 13. To neutral European States, especially the south-eastern States, Germany is holding out prospects of bright trade based on the assumption that the conquest of Poland will soon be achieved. It is claimed that then the German coal production will increase by onequarter, steel by over 2,000,000 tons, and zinc by 100.000 tons. These claims have given, rise in the British press to a comparison between Germany’ economic position in 1914 and to-day, even if such claims are correct.

A correspondent of The Times points out that Germany in 1914 possessed not only those very parts of Poland which have now been seized, but also the remainder of that country, together with raw material foodstuffs.

The correspondent also points out the vastly superior credit and financial position of Germany in, 1914. "To-day, with her credit exhausted, negligible gold reserves and an acute shortage of foreign exchange, it is clear that the Nazis will not be able to buy as Imperial Germany couid almost until the end of the last war,” stales the correspondent.