The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1933. SENSIBLE AND CIVILISED

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 116, 19 May 1933, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

FRIDAY, MAY 19, 1933. SENSIBLE AND CIVILISED

For th* cause that tacks onsistance, Por the wrong that needs resist and, For the future in the diseavce, And the good that \re can dfy.

The speech of the German Chancellor is that of a sensible ancl civilised man, and not much that is either sensible or civiliscd has come out of Germany recently. Hitler is prepared to accept Mr. Roosevelt's proposal, he has declared himself as against war, and he is willing to participate in the work of settling the world's political and economic difficulties. He ascribes Germany's troubles to the terms imposed on her by tho Treaty of Versailles. All treaties concluded as a result of war in which one side has gained a conclusive victory are imposed treaties. The vanquished have to accept the victor's terms as the price to be paid for their defeat. Germany would have imposed yet harder terms or the Allies had she been victorious, judging by statements made by her rulers during the jvar. It was inevitable that in the Peace Treaty the Allies should have considered their own interests before those of the defeated foe. Time might have been trusted to mitigate the passions of war and pave the way for some modification of the treaty terms. Already this was being done. The reparation demands were scaled down in the Dawes Plan, the Young Plan, and Anally in the Lausanne agreement. The "war guilt lie" to which Hitler takes such strong exception could not have been directly negatived without detriment to the Allies, but it was practically abrogated in the convention proposed by Mr. Mac Donald, in which Germany's claim to equality in arms was admitted. Germany's national and international status was,recognised when she was admitted to membership of the League and given a permanent seat on the Council as one of the Great Powers. By degrees the terms of Versailles were being modified in favour of Germany, and the passions of war were being forgotten. It was just when these passions were subsiding that the Nazis roused once again all the resentment against Prussianism that had been felt during the war, and the hysterical outburst of von Papen recalled the warlike utterances of Bernhardi and his school.

Hitler has dissociated himself from' his colleague's declamation, but he will have to translate his words into deeds before suspicion is removed that Germany is not altogether sincere in her professions of peace. The test will come at Geneva. Definite proposals are now before the Disarmament Conference for the reduction of armed forces and the elimination as far as possible of weapons of aggression.. If Germany supports these proposals, real progress is possible. If she obstructs them, the other nations are little likely to accept them. Geneva will show whether Hitler or von Papen represents the real Nazi policy. In the meantime, Hitler has brightened the outlook.