ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 412, 20 April 1937, Page 5

ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION IN EUROPE

GERMANY AGREEABLE TO CONFERENCE. MR. G. LANSBURY AND HITLER HAVE SECRET TALK. SIGNIFICANT SPEECH BY DR. H. G. SCHACHT. Received 12.5 p.m. BERLIN, April 19. Herr Hitler had a secret talk lasting two hours with Mr. G. Lansbury, the Labour M.P., after which Mr. Lansbury stated that Herr Hitler said Germany was willing to participate in a conference of Economic Co-operation and Mutual Understanding if President Roosevelt, or the head of another great country, would take the initiative. This statement' was agreed upon between Herr Hitler and Mr. Lansbury after a discussion on the entire international situation. Mr. Lansbury submitted to the Fuhrer a memorandum proposing a new world conference, and told him the purport of his talks with President Roosevelt, M. Blum (France), Dr. Van Zeeland (Belgium), and the Scandinavian Prime Minister, none of whom had rejected his proposition. “I got what I wanted from Hitler,” Mr. Lansbury stated when interviewed, "namely, that Germany is willing to go into such a conference with a good heart. I was impressed by the fact that Herr Hitler knows what he is talking about. "The question of Russian participation was not raised. ’ Dr. H. G. H. Schacht, President of the German Reichsbank, in a speech at Munich, prophesied a gradual improvement in Germany's raw material situation. He said:— "We must put up certain restrictions if we want to safeguard Germany against attacks from outside. However, the raw materials restrictions have passed the climax, though the food situation will not permit freeing ourselves completely from foreign imports for a considerable time.” “Colonies under German administration and German currency would help Germany immensely.” Some foreign commentators interpret Dr. Schacht’s speech to be associated with Germany's changed policy, signifying a willingness to co-operate with Europe to restore world trade.