GERMANY TODAY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 March 1939, Page 2

GERMANY TODAY

POSITION OF HERR HITLER UNREST AND DISSATISFACTION IN EVIDENCE. CHEERING BY COMMAND. A lively review of the present international situation is given by Miss Ida Moir, who knows both Germany and Cechoslovakia very well, and is constantly kept in touch with opinion there, states a recent issue of the "Inverness Courier." Miss Moir's resume of conditions in Germany reads as follows: — The latest news received from Germany is that the Government do not now have the mass of the people with them the same as even six months ago. On the industrial side, as well as among the working-classes, even though they are all working and drawing comparatively good wages, there is much dissatisfaction because they have to give so much of what they earn to the Party funds and social service schemes. If they do not do this they are black-listed, and therefore they are all afraid not to contribute to these levies. The employers of labour also say that the many levies by the State on labour are very heavy, and industry is very much affected by it. When an eminent foreigner comes to Berlin the working people have to go on the streets and cheer him, and they also have to go by command and cheer the leaders when they are speaking at meetings. This applause by command is not anything like it used to be and very often when the men are being marched from a factory to the scene of action, so to speak, many of them slip away and take the afternoon to themselves. This free holiday for the workers is all at the expense of the employers, who have to pay the workers as if they had been working. Time off is also given for the men to go to the meeting room, which is compulsory in every factory, and where the workers meet to hear the radio speeches of the leaders, if they are not able to be present to hear them.

THE JEWISH POGROM. The last Jewish pogrom was very unpopular among the mass of the people; in Berlin it was mostly irresponsible youths of 17 and 18 who did the damage and looting, and the bulk of the people looked on and openly expressed disapproval. The feeling among the Nazi officials is that the severity of this last pogrom has been a diplomatic mistake, and when they saw the reaction in other countries they realised they had gone too far this time. Not from any consideration of the Jews, but simply because they saw that the world was not going to allow this without protest. There is a feeling among the mass of the people that Hitler has somehow let them down a little over Munich — or at least over the Czech business. Only a small minority, of the youth chiefly, wanted war, and the nation has realised that Hitler was ready to plunge them into it then, and it was Mr Chamberlain’s visit that opened their eyes to the fact that Hitler wanted war (and would undoubtedly have had it), and that Britain didn’t, and there has been a very definite reaction towards Britain since, a friendly reaction. Personally, I think that all these straws in the wind point in one direction —How long is the average German going to'be content to tighten his belt? There is no doubt that there is a considerable amount of tightening now, and that good food is scarce, and so many things are “Ersatz” or substitute. Now that discontent has brgun to be openly expressed, it will probably increase in volume, especially if the winter continues a severe one. It looks to me as if the Germans were getting sick of regimentationmuch as they love doing things en masse and to order—and once this murmur of discontent grows loud, then the Nazi Government will need to look sharp. HERR HITLER. They say that Hitler’s mental condition is causing everyone to think, and I was told that an eminent Statesman, l on his recent visit to him, was very much struck by his mental deterioration since he saw him two years ago. They say that he has nothing to do with the actual administration —that is all in the hands df Goering, Goebbels and Ribbentrop, etc.—and that he retires from sight for weeks on end, and just broods and broods, surrounded by a small band of old personal followers of the early days; then he suddenly emerges with an idea which has to be carried out —like, for instance, the last Jewish pogrom. And, once he has an idee fixe, nothing will stop him from carrying it out. He has the idea that he is a kind of Deity, and receives these instructions from some heavenly power! I think he is a very dangerous man, because he is quite’ unbalanced, and the more power he has got, the more unbalanced he has become, and the greater the feeling that he is omnipotent. He is also the best poker player in Europe. and none knows what his next move is to be! I don’t trust his word at all, and don’t for a moment believe that he will seek no more ter-

ritorial conquests—that is words and nothing, else. Of course, the next drive for German Government credit will be the churches and their riches. In August they were already expecting it in Austria, and, in fact, they had already begun there. Austria is Roman Catholic to the core —and devout Roman Catholic, too—and the land is full of rich monasteries. Innsbruck, for instance, has one monastery, the Servite Monastery, which has been taken over as a barracks, and the troops were occupying it already then. They had also dissolved the Theological Faculty at Innsbruck University, one of the oldest in Central Europe, where many famous learned men have taught, and there was great indignation over that among the Tyrolese. And if they do attack the churches I foresee trouble in Austria. The power of the Church and priests is great there, and the Nazis have by no means convinced the Austrian, and especially the Tyrolese and mountain folk, that NaziSocialism is the one and only creed to follow.

All the important economic affairs now are in the hands of Funk, and he is an extremely able man. The general opinion of those who know is that Germany will • probably be able to continue along her present course of barter and her present economic lines for, say, two years, and if something has not happened before then to improve her internal economic conditions, then there will be the deluge—economically. But for the moment she can perfectly well carry on, and with the Balkan drive she may do quite a lot. So far Austria and Czechoslovakia are liabilities and have not yet begun to pay dividends—but they will in time.”