IS HITLER'S "MANA" WANING?

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 168, 3 August 1937, Page 6

IS HITLER'S "MANA" WANING?

It is an American writer with a distmctly German name, Ur. Paul Schellenberg, who, after a lengthy sojourn of observation in Germany, comes to the conclusion that fierr Hitler's place ot doininancc among his people is by no means as tully assured as most outsiders are inchned to thmk. ln , * the iirst place, he has marked a quite distinct note running through the country, ot discontent with economic and social conditions. Last winter, he says, was the hardest the German people have ever suftered in times ot peace. Ihxs they are now begmmng to realise is m the main due to the long-con-tinued exactions, in the form of taxation, toil and timo made upbn which no active call has so far been made. This, so it is said, w the feelng which is, slowly perhaps but still surely, said, is tue teeling which s, slowly perhaps, but still surely begmning to permeate a big gection of the mass of the population. > On the other hand, many of the big industrialists, who customarily have provided remunerative employment for the wage-earners, lind themselves badly hampered for want of capital. This, again, results from the government policy of practically monopolising the home capital markets for financing armaments and public works, the latter largely railways being built for strategic purposes. Then, because of the threatening foreign policy adopted by the Fuhrer, they find themselves excluded from the outside money markets where, under norrnal conditions, they might have filled their financial needs. ' Beyond this of course, owing to the foreign trade policy adopted they find ever increasing difhculty in getting access for their wares in external markets. This, in turn, means difficulty in securing foreign exchange wherewith to purchase abroad essential raw material for their factories. This German-American writer is in agreement with those who say 'hat German leaders started colonial aspirations in order to divert the attention of the people from internal causes of discontent. But, even in this connection, Herr Hitler missed his chance in not making the most of Great Britain's not unfriendly attitude, to which, as lately as last January, he opposed an uncompromising, not to say menacing, stand. The reply to this was the announcement of Great Britain's immense rearmament programme, which is said to have greatly impressed the German people, especially tHose with memories of what they had to go through during the Great War. Dr. Schellenberg is also of the opinion that, vast and all as has been the expenditure in rearmament, the German army is anything but the perfect military machine it is represented to be. "By militarising 68 millions of German people," he writes, ".the leaders of the Third Reich tried to intimidate other countries in order to force them to make political and economic concessions. This venture has failed. Though masterly in technique and organisation, the German army • is still lacking in non-commissioned officers, in reserves and in heavy artillery while the" trial they have been given in Spain has proved her fighting aircraft to be of definitely inferior trpe when compared with either the Italian or the Russian." With regard to national finance it is said that militarisation of the country and the people was accompanied by "credit inflation" on an enormous scale, which had the inevitable effect of putting up prices against an already impoverished people. Ths dangerous recourse, it is now realised, is no further available, unless at the risk of a complete financial collapse. t The consequence is that Germany is now "mobilising her last financial reserves," the foreign bonds and stocks still in private hands. Ihese have been commandeered wherewith to purchase for the next few irionths the necessary raw material and food whicb in ordinary times are boughtw ith the proceeds of exports. As yet, we are told, there is no open criticism of Herr Hitler, but this is not so much because of continued umversal admiration for him as of'fear for the vengeance he takes on those who show any signs of opposing him. Of this the cables have given us some samples even during the last few days. Nazism is thus beliveed to be approaching a critical juncture, which may compel the adoption of "a desperado policy against its neighbours in order to veil internal collapse. "