Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1938. AGGRESSION IN EUROPE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 June 1938, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1938. AGGRESSION IN EUROPE.

* POSSIBILITIES of reaching - some, sort of composition with the European dictatorships seem likely to be put to a new and critical test as a result of the attacks that! are being - made on British ships in Spanish ports—attacks which of late have been intensified in a degree that might well be taken to imply deliberate and determined provocation. Obviously there is no clearly established division between the actual conflict in progress in Spain and the larger problems in which the general peace of Europe is at stake.

The position now reached is one in which Britain and France, particularly, are faced by the necessity of dealing in some fashion with wanton acts of aggression for which Germany and Italy, rather than General Franco and his insurgent forces in Spain may be really responsible.

One of yesterday’s cablegrams quoted a British correspondent at Gibraltar as having learnt “from a most reliable source” that the recent air raids for which the Spanish insurgents are held responsible were opposed by General Franco, “but the Germans are anxious to test out their bombers and pilots and threatened to withhold war materials unless they were allowed to bomb.”

In light of the destructive air attacks that have been made on British ships and also in France, where the raids are stated to be regarded as no longer a diplomatic but a military problem, an account of the position that otherwise might have been considered incredible becomes quite plausible. On the scale they have attained within the last few days, the air attacks on British ships and in French territory are hardly to be accounted for otherwise than by causes beyond General Franco’s control. To suppose that the Spanish rebel leader is deliberately challenging Britain and France, surely puts an impossible strain on credulity.

It certainly cannot be doubted, in any case, that Germany and Italy, were they so inclined, could speedily induce or compel General Franco to abandon any development of war policy of which they did not approve. With the tragic and terrible possibilities it holds, the position reached is well, calculated to test sharply and decisively the value of the agreement Britain has reached, in form at least, with Italy, and of the further agreement she is seeking with Germany. *

One contingency of which account perhaps should be taken is that the war machines Hitler and Mussolini have done so much to foster and build up in their respective countries are getting out of control. It is only a few months since Hitler gained what appeared to be a crushing victory over the then chiefs of the Reichswehr, but whether a dictator of his type can ever command and continue to retain the loyal support of the army on which he depends is at best an open question. Throughout history, a very large proportion of the dictators who have tried to do this have failed. Whatever the degree of responsibility may be that Hitler and Mussolini bear for the events in Spain that are causing so much resentment in Britain and in France, it is clear that a- continuance of these acts of aggression will go far to destroy any prospect of agreement between the European democracies and the Fascist Powers, or of promoting in that or other ways peace in Europe. OUR RAILWAY HANDICAP. ACCORDING- to the Minister of Public Works (Mr Semple), an announcement on the subject of the Rimutaka railway which will be gratifying to the people of the Wairarapa is to be made by the Prime Minister when he visits this district at the end of next week. This means, it may be hoped, that the just claims of the Wairarapa for an adequate and efficient railway link with the port'of Wellington are at last to be satisfied. It has long been clear that a major improvement of the existing railway is needed, although it is for experts to say whether this is best to be accomplished by the construction of the tunnel projected a good many years ago or in some other way. On the merits of the ease, whatever reasonable plan is now put forward for the establishment of greatly improved railway facilities between the Wairarapa and Wellington should be accepted as a commitment binding on any° Government that may happen to be in office until the work is completed. Plainly as they are and have been demonstrated, the claims of the Wairarapa to be relieved of its existing railway handicap have been too long set aside or ignored. Something like fourteen years ago, the Rimutaka deviation was placed next in order, on the list of major railway improvement works, to the Tawa Flat deviation. The time is much more than ripe to put the work in hand.