GERMAN VIEWPOINTS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 January 1932, Page 4

GERMAN VIEWPOINTS

The German Consul in New Zealand, 'Herr W. Penseler, who returned on Tuesday from a visit to his Fatherland, gave an interview to the Press in which he expressed his views regarding a method of solving the world's present economic troubles. "Unless the American nation, which is the only one powerful enough and financially able to do it stands up to France and opposes her present policy of benefiting herself at the expense of every other nation, endless trouble will ensue," he is reported to have said. This view, coming from a German official just returned from Germany, is interesting. Presumably Herr Penseler had at least some contact with official thought during his visit to his native land and therefore the conclusion is justified that his views are at least in some degree a reflection of German official opinion. The charge against France of a narrow selfishness breaks no new ground, but the suggestion that the United States should "stand up to France" in the interests of world recovery is novel. The question is, is it of practical value in the existing crcumstances. The United States, unfortunately are engaged in very much the same game as France and are actively endeavouring to checkmate her whenever her activties threaten to interfere with their own plans and ambitions. Whether, should they decide to force the issue, their victory would be beneficial to the rest of the world is a very open question. So far there is no very clear evidence that it would be. From the purely German point of view, however, strong anti-French action on the part of the United States would, if successful, be definitely advantageous. As Herr Penseler points out, "the most that can be hoped for regarding Franeo-German relations is the negative attitude of "leaving each other alone." If one -is preponderantly more powerful than the other even this is too much to ho'pe for, as history shows, and it is therefore natural that the weaker should welcome any means of clipping the other's wings. But as we have s_aid, it is at least doubtful whether the clipping of France's wings by America would in the long run help things very much. Germany, certainly, would probably have less to fear than from her immediate neighbour; but it is doubtful whether the rest of Europe would find a financially pabamount America economieally of in any other way less dangerous than France is or is likely to be. Well informed opinion abroad sees no hope of a solution of the world's troubles be'ing found in the action of any one nation. The difficulties are too far-reaching for that. What is wanted, it is agreed, is joint action by all the nations, each making what sacrifices may be necessary in order' that all may share in the recovery of economic equilibrium. Until a means of securing such action is found there appears to be little prospect of a general and permanent improvement in the economic situation and it is with the object of discovering a method of co-operating that the international conferences to Ibe held shortly at Laiisanne and Geneva have been called.