CRUELTY TO JEWS

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 269, 10 August 1938, Page 8

CRUELTY TO JEWS

Outrages In Vienna I ■ ■’ I AUSTRIAN NAZIS BLAMED j — The opinion that outrages against Jews in Austria since Hitler’s invasion last March have been the work of youthful members of the Austrian Nazi Party rather than of Nazis from Germany was expressed by Mr. R. S. Milne, of Milne and Choyce, Limited, who returned to Auckland by the Mariposa from a business visit to Europe and the United States. Mr. Milne’s European tour included visits to Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, his stay in these countries coinciding with the famous fairs at Leipzig, 1 ienna and Prague respectively. Reaching Vienna the day after Hitler’s arrival, Mr. Milne said he found Nazi officials everywhere, in the streets, in the large shops and in the hotels. During a stay of four days in the city he had seen no instances of ill-treatment of Jews. Undoubtedly persecution and ill-treatment of Jews did occur, but this was apparently done by youthful members of the Austrian Nazi Party. About the city were hundreds of antl-Jewish signs bearing such inscriptions as “Jews are Traitors.” To obtain frank views in Germany on the Hitler regime was extremely difficult. People were afraid to say anything, and if they did they would swear their listeners to secrecy. It was held by many, however, that Hitler had been the salvation of the country. And Hitler remained very definitely in command of Germany. The strict censorship of the Press in Germany was particularly noticeable to the visitor, he said. Foreign newspapers were allowed into the country, but if they contained anything contrary to German policy they were confiscated. Actually the great number of the people were unaware of what was going on in the outside world.