AUSTRIA UNIFIED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 149, 25 June 1936, Page 19

AUSTRIA UNIFIED.

THE CABINET RECAST. ENDING DUAL LEADERSHIP, STATEMENT BY CHANCELLOR. The following exclusive statement from Dr. Kurt von Scbusehnigg, the Austrian Chancellor, on the reconstruction of his Government, brought about by the recent resignation of Prince ijtarhemberg, the Vice-Ohan-ccllor, has t>een received through the JCorth American Newspaper Alliance. (By KURT VON SCHUSCHNIGG.) VIENNA, May 22. The principal aim of the reconstruction of the Cabinet was to terminate the dualism in the leadership of the State, which, since the death of Dr. Dollfuss, has existed as. a result of the historic development of new . Austria. This unification was necessary not because perhaps Prince Starhemberg and I disagreed on the fundamental principles, hut on account of differences between us in small matters, which nevertheless threatened to disturb the work of construction of corporative Austria. Government will quicken the pace of the work of reconstruction along Dollfuss' lines. The spirit and aim of this new Government are unchangeably the same as those of my previous Governments. It is based on the same forces as before, and includes all true Austrians who stand for a free and independent country. ;■ What Austria Wants. I have emphasised repeatedly that authoritarian regime is not synonymous arbitrary Government. Our constitution includes efficient safeguards against it. One of these is election Within the various. corporations, the first of which has already been held in the province of Vorarlberg, with the result that 80 per cent of all votes were given to candidates of the Patriotic Front. May I add that in this province, the cradle of real peasant democracy, 80 per cent of the voting population Went to the polls? I have the firm intention to hold similar elections in all the other provinces as soon as possible; I am fully convinced that it is quite Tong to use such definitions when discussing Austria's domestic problems as ar e customary in other countries and are there fully justified, but which only Partially correspond with the development of Austria. What we do want is a Christian, German Austria on a corporative basis, a purely Austrian construction which is in accord with -the mentality of the Austrian people. No Outside Interference. I have already pointed out ip my dispatches to the Premiers of Italy and Hungary that my new Government will continue to adhere to the proved policy of the Rome Protocol. The foreign policy of the country will remain as heretofore. At the same time we will

contimie with our endeavours to come to a closer economic-co-operation, with all our other neighbours. We "\vant friendship with everybody under the sole condition that our independence should be respected and no attempt should be made to interfere with our domestic affairs.

Austria is well aware of the gratitude she owes to the League of Nations for repeated support in economic distress. We are all the more grieved, therefore, at the present crisis of this institution, which we all hope will finally surmount the difficulties and become what President Wilson thought it should be —the guarantee for justice and peace through the full co-operation of all those who seek to secure these high aims.