“GERMANY IS RICH”

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 October 1939, Page 3

“GERMANY IS RICH”

REPLY TO “POOR-MOUTH” CRY. MISDIRECTED EXPENDITURE. “Nazi propaganda is deceiving the ill-informed,” writes Edward Hulton in his magazine. “Picture Post." "Germany is not one of the poorest nations. Germany is rich. But she is spending hex- resources on guns and war preparations.”

Let us get this straight (he adds). Has Germany got hex- fair share of economic resources? Lots of people are going about saying, "After all, the Germans are without enough room for their population, and they do not possess sufficient raw materials. So they must expand.” Let us get the facts.

In the first place, the density of population in Germany is not so great as in Belgium or the United Kingdom. But it is not we who are screaming fox- “elbow room.” And what about raw materials? The truth is that all “nations” are a fundamental absurdity, and none of them possess a complete range of good things. All are dependent on foreign sources of supply foxmany important raw materials; and the problem of access could never be solved by transfer of territory, unless whole continents were transferred! The only real possibility of improvement lies in a greatex- freedom of trade. Great Britain by herself has adequate supplies only of coal. With the aid of her colonies, protectorates, and mandates, she has more than enough rubber, tin, and manganese; and a sufficient quantity of bauxite, vanadium, graphite, phosphates, sisal, and vegetable oils; while supplies of coppexand pyrites are partly forthcoming. If Southern Rhodesia were included, the supplies of chromium and asbestos would also be adequate. But she remains very incompletely supplied, particularly with petroleum and cotton. Of course, when we consider- the British Empire as a whole, the position is different. But to the dominions, and even to India, we have granted wide powers of self-government, including the power- to erect tariffs against ourselves. And even with the dominions and India we still have a serious deficiency in as many things as petroleum, potash, antimony, , mercury, molybdenum, silk, flax, hemp, and manila hemp. The mighty U..S.A. is seriously deficient in rubber manganese, chromium, tin, antimony, tungsten, nickel, vanadium, platinum, asbestos, graphite, silk, jute, hemp, and sisal! The Soviet list of deficiencies is about as long as this one—and it includes rubber, lead, and tin. France (even with colonies) is without enough coal, rubber, lead, ox- zinc. Of petroleum or cotton she possesses none. Great Britain is notoriously faxmore dependent on imported food than practically any. nation in the world. Even with her Crown colonies she is worse off than Germany, Italy, or Japan, for the colonies supply little beyond fruit and sugar, cocoa, tea, and coffee, and vegetable oils. Of course, the dominions can supply us with wheat, meat, and dairy products. But we have always been content to buy large supplies from the Argentine and Denmark. Germany possesses a surplus of coal; and of potash she is the world’s greatest producer. Fox- other commodities she is partly or wholly dependent on other countries. When, however, we ask ourselves: Can Germany be self-supporting, are we clear what we mean? If she is going to indulge in “autarky,” or trying to produce everything.in her own back garden, she, like any other nation, is going to get into difficulties. But if she is content to export her surplus materials and purchase what she lacks, she will find herself very well endowed with this world’s goods and in no need to complain.

NONSENSE ABOUT COLONIES. A study of what colonial areas really produce makes it clear that it is nonsense to imagine that Germany’s position can be materially affected by handing her a few colonies, or indeed all the colonies that exist. Germany could only obtain a sufficient supply of every raw material by world conquest. In the future it may be possible for all colonial areas to be administered by an International Commission. At present restrictions upon access by Germany to colonial materials may be irritating, but they are not economically important. Access is hampered far less by any such restrictions than by the failure of international trade to revive. This failure is mainly caused by the menacing attitude of the Fuehrer. The German people are in want. The Nazi leaders explain the scarcity by stating that the wicked democracies deny access to raw materials. But the various devices by which Germany .has obtained imports are worth noting—they include default on foreign debt and State control of foreign trade. After the war Germany borrowed abroad about three times as much as she ever paid in Reparations. But by the “Standstill” Agreement of 1931 the vast short-term credits became immobiblised in the Fatherland. They have stood still ever since! In June, 1934, the Germans refused to pay us even our interest. BUTTER MAKES YOU FAT! But the Nazis control also what sort of things their people are to import. In December, 1935, the generouslyproportioned Goering declaimed: “Iron has always made an Empire strong; butter only makes people fat.” Butter has further been described by National Socialists as “a substance which people had to spread on their bread in the bad old days of the Democratic System.” Our Sir Horace Wilson still dreams of economic appeasement. But what guarantee is there that, if more money were placed at Herr Hitler's disposal, he would apply it to raise the standard of life of his people? If he desires to do this he has a simple remedy. Reduce expenditure on armaments! In the last six years he has spent £4,000,000,000 on engines of death. “The less the people consume," declared the amiable Dr Schacht, “the more work can be done on armaments. The standard of living and the scale, of armaments production must move m opposite directions.”' The industrial workers produce 20 per cent more, today than they would have produced for the same wages under the Republic. They, work longer hours for the same pay, and have to forgo the higher wages they should have received for the increase -in production. Again, a big percentage of wages passes to the State and Nazi Party organisations, in the form of compulsory and “voluntary” contributions —for “Winter Aid” and “Labour Front.” In 1937 the Winter Relief Organisation collected £35,-

000.000. of which £6,710,000 was taken compulsorily for wages and salaries, and £8,630,000 from firms and organisations. Herr Hitler, however, has not yet exhausted the possibilities of reducing the standard of living of hir people. The shortage of labour can be overcome by increasing the amount of female labour. And “Hitler Youth” can once more harness children to industry. Meanwhile there has been the plunder of the Jew, and of the “White Jews” —the wealthier classes of the Catholic and the Protestant churches. BORN 1291—STILL GOING. Near the frontier of the Reich, by the waters of Zurich, the Swiss have had the courage to onen an International Exhibition. Four great figures symbolise the happy co-operation of four “races" —German. French. Italian and “Romansch” —ever since the proclamation of the Everlasting League of 1291. Another pavilion bears the words, “We have no colonies. We have no raw materials. We have prosperity.” The Swiss people have long enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the world. What tiny Switzerland has achieved in material prosperity and in education, mighty Germany could achieve. Those who have entered the Fatherland have been spellbound by its great meadows, its vast woods, its mighty rivers. Let its leaders use its resources for peace, and there will be abundance in the land.