NEW POLAND

Shannon News, 15 January 1926, Page 4

NEW POLAND

CANNOT BE IGNORED. It is, no small thing to have set up in Europe a Power with territories greater than those of Italy and a population greater than that of Spain (says the special Warsaw correspondent of the "Daily Mail). This is what we and our Allies in the Great War did when we restored the indep'ence of the Polish nation. Th e deed was so tremendous that we have hardly yet realised what we have done. But is is obvious that a country of this size, with, 27,000,000 inhabitants, is a factor in Europe which the manufaturer can no more ignore than the politician. Three years have gone by since ,1 was here, and during- that tim e most ; of the information I have had about Poland has been derived from the German newsapeprs. They give the impression that the Poles are a feckless people who live in a hopeless state of muddle and misery. Consequently I expected, when I got put of the train at Posen, to find that since ih e Germans went away the city had become dilapidated, disorganised, and Impoverished. A smart young chauffeur drove mc swiftly in an open taxi-cab along the perfect roads to the Bazar Hotel in the chief square. It was agreeable to discover that taxicab fares were cheaper than in Berlin and to get into a comfortable bod in a fastidiously clean room. I awoke early to the music of a military band.and electric tramway cars, jumped out of bed and went to the open window. On came the soldiers in kahki, a fine body of men, with their merry band. Girls and men on their way to work in shops and offices got out of the tramway cars. Boys and girls with satchels were»going to school, and servants and housewives with baskets to market. And the slim, pretty girls in summery frocks, the midinettes and typists and shop.girls of Ppzran, to give the city the ancient name which has been restored to. it. kept me a auarter of: an hour at the window.

Talking to people in the town, I began to 'understand why the Germans write such nasty things about the Poles. When the German official left Foznan they were convinced that the organisation of the town would collapse, and they are annoyed that 'it has not. There is not a cleaner and brighter town in Europe. The population has increased 157,000 'to nearly • 200,00, •and everybody is working. Poznan possesses a gloomy castle of eranite and sandstone which the ex-Kaiser built when he bestowed the title of Imperial residence in . the city. He made a. grand speech when he came to his new home for Ihe first time, and expressed the how-, that th 0 city would ever be the centre of German culture. The poor man's hopes have been disappointed. Part of his castle i a used for the new Polish university, and in two days I heard nothing but the soft ■twittering of Polish in. the streets. One hundred and flftv y ears of Prussian rule have- failed to crush this tenacious people. , The. Poles .have 'not avenged them, pelves. There are German schools for Germans, who number 5 per cent, of the population. Germany will be ■ nether ..strong enough nor rich enough to attfc.mpt to get back Poznam for many years to come, and the ' Poles arc confident in their ability to defend their home and the cradle of their race.