Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1939. A NAZI PEACE PROPOSAL.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 September 1939, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1939. A NAZI PEACE PROPOSAL.

ALTHOUGH it was in form an odd jumble of abuse, bluster and peace appeal, the broadcast address by Air-Marshal Goering', which was reported yesterday, obviously opened no practical approach to peace. Read in its context, Maishal Goering’s declaration: “We want peace ... If you want peace, you can have it, Mr Chamberlain’’ is only the offer of an aggressor to make an end of warfare, for the moment, if he is’allowed to round oft' the crime in which he is meantime engaged and to gather in its proceeds undisturbed. The Allies have taken up the only position compatible with justice and with the secure re-establishment of peace in declaring that even if Poland is overwhelmed for the time being, they will persevere in their war effort until an end has been made of Nazism. That stand, it may be hoped, will be maintained uncompromisingly. It is open to the German people to le-establish peace at any time, by renouncing the policy of aggression and installing in office a government that can be relied upon to honour its undertakings and respect its obligations. talk with the Nazi regime is definitely an impossibility. What the Nazis are asking for is not peace, but submissive acquiescence in their policy of crime. No doubt can be entertained on Hie subject by anyone who has read Marshal Goering’s address. He calmly took it for granted that Germany could talk peace while she was carving up the living body of Poland. GERMAN STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS. 'VO doubt there are many people in Germany who condemn, in their hearts, the vile policy of murderous aggression and plunder to which their country is meantime committed, and still, greater numbers upon whom the strain of the war tans and will continue'to fall with crushing effect. let it is not improbable that the position and outlook in the Keich are estimated with some approach to accuracy by an American correspondent who was quoted in one of yesterday s cablegrams as stating that: —

It -is known that there is discontent (in Germany), but wellinformed quarters feel ij. will be a long time before it is serious enough to count as a real factor. The war is unpopular n Germany, but it is not believed that Nazism will ciack till Germany is hit so hard that the Germans are ready to brave the Gestapo in order to discard Nazism.

The unpopularity of the war must do something from the outset to limit and impair Germany’s fighting power, but admittedly it is no easy matter for any nation to cast oft a highly organised and centralised military tyranny like that now imposed on the Reich.

With undoubtedly serious obstacles raised to any spontaneous expression and assertion of opinion in Germany, added importance is imparted to elements of weakness in her material organisation—elements which so obviously exist that it may he doubted whether her present rulers would have ventured to attack Poland had they not counted confidently upon attaining their ends in a short war.

The French Minister of Finance (i\l. Reynaud) was reported yesterday to have stated that: “Germany is largely worn out by her war preparation efforts.’ That statement may be rather sweeping, but it by no means lacks foundation. Germany has built up a tremendously powerful war machine, but has done it at a cost that bears already with severe hardship on the people of the Reich. A German sociologist. Dr F. Borkenaii, wrote recently that: “The secret, of Nazi economics is that everyone is working much more than in 1933, hut consumes onlv'a very little more than at the worst of the slump.”.

The sum-total of wages paid in Germany is of course higher than at the advent of the Nazis in 1933 (Dr Borkenau added), for there are perhaps ten million more at work and the working day has been expanded from eight to ten or even twelve hours. But amidst rekindled furnaces and an actual scarcity of labour the real wages of the individual worker are a good deal below even the starvation wages of 1932. While there is no unemployment, the “winter help” originally created for the sake of the unemployed is lustily continuing to work, filling the empty stomachs of labourers working at starvation wages with charity soups

Evidence regarding' food shortage and the extent to which both skilled labour and machines have undergone serious deterioration in Germany owing to relentless overdriving is available in statements made with authority within the Reich.

In .January last, the “Frankfurter Zeitung” estimated that the needs'of renewals and replacements of old industrial equipment amounted to several thousands of millions ol marks and added: “The whole productive machinery of the Reich is threatened with danger if the most urgent improvements are not carried out.” It has been observed by a Hungarian economist, Dr Ivan Lajos, that, as for industrial workers, the war, the inflation period, the economic crisis and Nazi military organisation have all been, discouraging to long and intensive technical training. A German paper, the “Deutsche Volkswirtschaft,” declared not long ago that the capacity of workers under forty “displays alarming deficiencies.”

These facts and others, notably a serious deterioration in the condition of railways and heavy shortages ol' rolling slock, suggest that Germany is faced definitely by the threat, of an economic breakdown.' To what extent the total situation will be modified by 1 lie German seizure of Polish territory, lhe nou-aggression pact with Russia, the neutrality ol Italy and related^factors has yet to appear. No other opinion seems possible at present, however, than that Germany, in some essential respects, is very badly placed to bear the strain of continuing' war.