EUROPE’S PLIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1932, Page 3

EUROPE’S PLIGHT

GERMAN CONSUL’S VIEW. UNITED STATES THE ONLY HELP.

WELLINGTON, January 12,

In the opinion of Mr W-. Penseler, 'Germain Consul in New Zealand, who returned to-day from a trip to his homeland and to Austria and Switzerland, the solution of European difficulties and troubles lie, s in the attitude of the United States of America to France. Unless the United State®, which was the only nation big enough and powerful enough financially to do it, stood up to France and opposed its present policy of benefiting itself at the expense of every other nation endless trouble would ensue. “There is one nation in Europe—it shall be nameless-—which by tenacity of purpose and astute diplomatic cleverness, lias been very successful for itself at the expense of everyone else,” Mr Penseler said. “It is the one father of all the obstacles, and the ’question to be decided how long wi,-l it be allowed to impose its will on the world.”

iMr Penseler thought the answer to this question would be .supplied at the coming Disarmament and other conferences to be held in Europe. It was very apparent, though, that 'Europe’s only help lay in 'the United States. THE NEW GERMANY. Whatever happened, Mr Penseler thought, Germany would pull through from its present very great troubles. It was suffering such great hardships that many people were becoming desperate, but the majority were suffering in silence. To his mind, however, the people were finding comfort in their realisation of the true values of life. Their exercise of Spartan economy had brought about—it was •hard to express it exactly—a kind ot spiritual' uplift which gave them great comfort in spite of their manifold troubles and difficulties, 'this was so definitely in evidence and so general among the people that there wa s a good deal upon which to base the belief that in course of time Germany would evolve new ways of economics, politics and even religion. In Air Penseler’s opinion ft was most likely indeed that Germany would give a non- loud to the WOl'ld.

•Speaking of Germany's attitude toward France, Mr Penseler said that hi's country’s desire was to bring about a state where the two peoples coin'd mutually respect each other and leave each other alone. It was unlikely, he thought, that the two poeples would ever fraternise to any extent, their ideas and general outlook were so definitely opposed.