Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1939. NAZI COLONIAL DEMANDS.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 March 1939, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 1939. NAZI COLONIAL DEMANDS.

TT is characteristic of the whole scheme ot Nazi propaga 1 onino- hand in hand with positive aggression that the character of the colonial claims put forward on behalf of the Reich has undergone, in recent days a ei^ o Xence hst chaiwe Until about the time of the Munich Conieience last vear'Germanv demanded back her old colonies on the grounds that’she-had been wrongly deprived Zm prestige necessitated their return and that she must ! <ue tlI e for economic reasons. Of late, however, as. news cablegrams have shown, the German Press has been putting out feelers on the subject of a general redistribution of the world s colonies, as against the return of specific German colonies.

So far as its- effect in internal opinion in Germany is concerned, this altered propaganda appears to be yieldingresults that are highly gratifying to its promoters. As one writer put it recently: —

While it may' have been difficult to made the nation enthusiastic over a fight for the Cameroons or South-West Africa, n is ?asy to eonvlncl the people that they J™ a right to hye » right to share in the world’s tropical riches. The Fuehier s strugg for the Germans’ “right to live” thus assumes the nature of Slsade, and untortunately the censorship prevents the true economic facts from reaching the German public.

Another advantageous outcome, from the point of view of the Nazis, of the change in propagandist tactics re gJ r J ) l "<’ colonies is that Italy has been brought line AU . th in the matter. The arrangement suits Italy admiiablj . I e alleged claims on France are essentially colonial 111 ’ though they have nothing to do with colonies formerly held by Italy.

The rulers of both Germany and Italy are now working up a feeling that their countries are suffering an intolerable injustice in being denied colonies, or in Italy ’s case additiona colonies,. While it holds dangerous possibilities, this agitation is based visibly on sham and make believe. I here is not a vestige of truth in the assertion that Germany and Italy are impoverished for want of colonies. The primary cause of impoverishment in both countries is an expansion of military expenditure which exceeds, all bounds.

Nothing but their own internal policy prevents Germany and Italv buying greatly increased quantities of colonial and other materials at prices as low as those paid by any country in the world. In an orderly world, arrangements no doubt might be made further to expand and cheapen the production ot tropical and other commodities, but, any arrangements ot the kind are blocked completely at present by the nations which are cutting themselves off to the greatest extent possible from world trade, and. having done that, are proclaiming that they labour under an intolerable injustice in being denied colonies.

The key to a final settlement of the question of tropical colonies no* doubt is in the establishment of international guarantees of the protection of native races and of open-door conditions of trade, in which all nations would participate on equal terms. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy undoubtedly would decline even to consider a colonial settlement on these terms and would aim at turning to strategic account any further colonies they might obtain. While these conditions rule any concession to the totalitarian States where colonies are. concerned is, and it may be hoped will continue to be, n nthinka hie.