Windows Of The World.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 142, 18 June 1938, Page 19

Windows Of The World.

International Scenes and Affairs

THE NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS.

GERMAN CAPITAL.

BERLIN FAVOURED.

Ri !'S of CHANGE TO MUNICH. BERLIN. - r- " An-chluss with Austria f (Greater Germanv has been hi.- — . uitli a superfluity of capitals: tw ! ■.: i_i • - 1* c.iK'5 —Berlin and Vienna—aiul on- :: city, Munich. i" ■- not surprising, therefore, that run;- :i: ~ have Wen circulating recently ! tli.it t!ii' '.errtian Government proposes t> !; .1 ?. ~t• •rj no capital of ({reater Gern;.'N\ i .'■:!! Berlin to Munich. 1:1 I>e gathered in nflici.-il ai:d i:i: .! ■ ial quarter* there is no fouii*l*i* '" :i " iuitever for such reports, ami critamN every »ood reason why Herliri tin'iiltl r.-main the official capital of the Creator '•••rinan Keich. If w to the source of all official sn~j.init;.>n j n Germany, Herr Hitler. we Jiml tii.it lie iias stated that Berlin is t«» remain the capital. In a public speech which he delivered la-: November, when laying the foundation r-t.me of the new military section <•:' ; lie Berlin Technical Institution, Herr Hitkr said: •• To-day begins in Berlin a period of rebuilding which will bring about great alterations in the appearance an l, I am convinced, in the character of this city. The former residence of Hohenzollern princes, kings and emperors now to become the eternal capital of the lirst German National Reich.'' The Eternal City. T<> emphasise the fact further that Berlin i~ to i>e the "eternal capital" of Germany, he said that they aimed to build a city that would lasta thousand years for a people with a thousand years of history and culture behind it and a tremendous future in front of it. Furthermore. Berlin is ideally situated from a strategic point of view. It is right in the heart of Germany, and in ca-e nt" armed invasion, even by air, is fa:' iess vulnerable than London or Paris. Then, again, Berlin is the headquarters oi the famous Prussian bureaucracy, and it is this system, with its incomparable control over the population, which is penetrating the whole of Greater Germany. If one regards Berlin, Vienna and Munich with their dynastic pasts in mind. Berlin is the city most' favoured by the present regime. Vienna is regarded as a Hapsburg city, a dynasty now officially hated by the Nazis. Munich is a Wittelsbach capital. Berlin is imbued with the Potsdam spirit and therefore looked upon with favour by the Nazis. Munich, beautiful Munich, -will always remain the capital of the National Socialist movement and '"The City of German Art." One of the main reasons why people jump to the conclusion that Munich might well become the mem,- capital of Greater Germany is because Herr Hitler prefers the atmosphere of Bavaria to that of Prussia. But this is merely a jK'isonal prefereLce. Herr Hitler has already provided for his long stays in Bavaria l>y the erection of a Bpecial Reich Chancellery at Berchtesgaden.

CONSCRIPTION ?

POSITION IN BRITAIN.

NEW ROLE FOR TERRITORIALS. LONDON. Conscription is apparently the only way Groat Britain can get any large volume of recruits for the Army. "No conscription in peace time" has been the Governments promise, and so far it is sticking to it. But the average young Briton of today lias an aversion to Army life that neither war scares nor the blandishments ot War Minister .Mr. Leslie HoreI'elisha have been able to overcome. 1' ire fal-e teeth, free spectacles, permission to marry and various concessions on physical detects have been amoiiy: stejiK used in the effort to boost recruiting. I hey have made a difference, but it has not been great. Wartime conscription would certainly produce the men, but what worries military authorities is how to get them before there is a war. It takes time to make a soldier, and the authorities remember the slaughter of the small but seasoned regular army at the beginning of the world war, in spite of quick recruiting. | This time they would like to have a more impressive number of men already troined so that the few regulars will not have to bear the whole brunt of the fight until a citizen army is trained. I erritorial army recruiting is being pushed. The territorials have a new role now. Instead of being a reservoir of fresh men in wartime for the regular infantry and other branches they are the anti-aircraft force of the British Isles. Anti-aircraft defence has been turned over to them, and posters all through the country call on the nation's youth to "Defend your liberty." Employers are being persuaded to form company units of territorial, with the promise of extra vacation time for training. Some are offering time off with pay for men who spend it in a training camp.