ATTITUDE TO WAR

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20076, 24 October 1939, Page 4

ATTITUDE TO WAR

EUROPE AND AMERICA

STRINGENT NAZI FINANCES THE FEELING IN ITALY U.S. AND NEW DEAL First-hand impressions of the attitude of the United States and of several European countries to the war were obtained on a world business tour by Mr. William Goodfellow, managing director of Amalgamated Dairies, Limited, and the Challenge Phosphate Company, Limited. Mr. Goodfellow, who has ■ returned to Auckland, spent June and July in the United Kingdom, and during August he visited Denmark, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.

In an interview, Mr. Goodfellow said that in Germany he formed the very definite opinion that the people, apart from inexperienced youth, did not want war. The country hud a depressing atmosphere, and there were signs of stringent finances. For ins'ance, the railway rolling-stock needed painting and renovating and the parks were poorly kept. Italian Viewpoint In Italy, and especially in Switzerland, it was freely stated that the Italians were not going to fight- for Germany. One sensed the feeling that German officers and German efficiency were none too popular with the easygoing Italians. Mr, Goodfellow said he had been in Italy several times during the past 34 years, and was greatly impressed on this occasion by the improvement in the appearance of Italy and its people.

In Switzerland, Mr, Goodfellow' stated, he saw considerable military activity everywhere. It was said that all the alpine passes were heavily mined and fortified and that the 600,000-strong and highly-efficient Swdss Army would resist any attempt to repeat Belgium’s experience in the Great War.

Discussing his visit to the United States and Canada, Mr. Goodfellow' stated that President Roosevelt seemed determined that the United States should be neutral but should indirectly help the democracies. New York business men, however, were of the opinion that the United States would be in it, too. w'ithin 12 months, especially if the war spread to Russia. In the meantime the country was rapidly strengthening her military forces and had placed a large contract for additional ships.

American X’olicy Change

One could not expect a political party nowadays, in the United States or elsewhere for that matter, to be honest and frankly admit mistakes, even when proved to be wrong, but there w'as said to be a gradual change in American policy. Many business leaders believed that the New Deal period was nearing an end. The outstanding fact w'as that, notwithstanding the expenditure of tens of millions of dollars by the United States Government on relief schemes, the total number of unemployed people remained at about 10,000,000.

Slate spending to create prosperity had definitely failed to produce desired results and had created such a lack of confidence that private enterprise had closed down on all expansion. The leaders of industry, he was informed, were now advising and.cooperating with the Government, and the economic theorists and financial cranks were being replaced by able and experienced business men. 1