A VIRILE NATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 90, 13 October 1938, Page 10

A VIRILE NATION

THE GERMAN PEOPLE

PLACE IN RECENT CRISIS

LACK OF MATERIALS

Vivid impressions of the new German nation are retained by Mr. J. M. A. Ilott, of Wellington, who returned by the Awatea today after an extensive visit to Europe. Strained international feelings were rampant during Mr. Ilott's tour, but the attitude adopted by the British statesmen and their handling of the situation commanded his admiration. "There is no doubt," said Mr. Ilott, "that one has to admire the way in which England was prepared, realising the seriousness of the situation, to face up to it without panic, realising also that war in the future is going to be a very different thing from war in the past, when the British fleet could put a ring of battleships round Great Britain, and when the population of the country was not facing the inevitable horrors of war. Bombing today means that planes from any hostile force can be over London within 1£ hours, and anyone who sees that, huge city, containing a fifth of the population N of Great Britain, will realise the horrible potentialities of such a struggle." In England it was felt that the situation was the most dangerous since 1914, said Mr. Ilott, and a good many statesmen had been of the opinion that such a situation would not havearisen until 1940, by which time Britain had hoped to have her defences built up to a very efficient level. During the crisis Mr. Chamberlain was certainly charged with a tremendous responsibility, but people had a feeling of confidence when the country's foreign policy rested with men such as Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Halifax. Trade was very disturbed. Unemployment figures were rising, and although the accelerated production of armaments might help, there was no doubt there would have to be a great change before any real advance could be made in the business affairs of the community in the future. Living costs in England were rising rapidly. The relative strengths of the air forces of the Powers was referred to by Mr. Ilott, who said that he had been told by responsible people in France that Germany had 3500 first-line machines, with a manufacturing capacity in time of war of 600 a month, Britain had 1500 first-class machines, and France 1000, the two latter Powers having a joint monthly capacity of 350 machines in time of war. EMERGENCY SERVICE. "I was astounded at the tremendous development that has occurred in Germany," said Mr. Ilott. "Everyone, during the period that I was there, regardless of age, could be drafted for emergency service. That added the services of the civilian population to those of the German Youth, the armed forces, the Labour Front, and other organisations. Means were provided for the compulsory transfer of workers from private concerns to armament and other factories. All the boys are enlisted in the Hitler Youth Movement, and trained for their duties as National Socialists. Labour camps were most; impressive to see, with the young men marching along, stripped to the waist, wearing a pair of shorts, their bodies bronzed. They sang as they marched, and they were magnificent." Great attention was paid to the nation, said Mr. Ilott. Girls also must serve one duty year. Girls in industry were encouraged to give up their jobs to get married, and a loan was given them, part in cash, part in notes, to enable them to buy furniture. This loan was reduced on the birth of the first child, if born within two years, and it was entirely wiped out if there were four children within ten years. The scheme, it was stated, reduced unemployment and at the same time raised the birth rate. Germany was doing, everything possible to encourage the family, and bachelors were taxed very much more heavily than the married man. A bachelor with £800 a year would pay about £160 in tax, and a married man on the same salary would pay under £100, there being, in addition, a rebate for each child. There was no tax on a family with five children. In one of the streets in the centre of Berlin bells pealed out every time a child was bom. and on the average they rang every twelve minutes. Girls were made to realise early in life that they were destined for the home and the family. Several German municipalities and cities had various ways of encouraging the family, and Dessau, for instance, paid the twelfth month's rent for every worker with a family of over five children. j FATS RATIONED. j Throughout the country fats were rationed, and cards were issued whereby a limited amount of butter and lard was obtained each week. This was considered necessary so that armaments could be manufactured. All metal was collected carefully, and no waste was allowed, used toothpaste tubes, even, being collected for the metal they contained. People were making tremendous efforts to develop artificial wrool, and a fibre had been developed from beech logs. As many as 40 research chemists were employed at one factory trying to find a suitable substitute for wool. There was no 40-hour week in Germany, and by a stroke of the pen hours of work had been increased to ten a day. Germany was not prosperous, and the economic" situation might prove very difficult later on. The German people had made terrific sacrifices for armaments over the last two years, said Mr. Ilott, and this had taken practically all the available German labour and materials. It had produced substantial efficiency in certain directions, but in other directions he had been told that output had been seriously affected because so many formalities had to be gone through. Forms had to go through many Government officers, and there was a great loss of time. One could not but admire the determination and the ingenuity of the German people in their quest for substitutes. "The people I met in Germany said that they wanted to be friends with England, but they were not prepared to have their social system criticised," said Mr. Hott. Mr. Ilott also referred to conditions in Italy, and the railway system of that country was the subject of considerable praise.

year's figures were 8.8 per 10,000, as against Australia's 16.8 per 10,000, and for the last sixteen days we have not had an accident, which must constitute a world's record. I want you to realise that for every 800 vehicles which travel this road now there will be from 1500 to 2000 during the Exhibition period." Mr. Semple also alluded to the western highway which would link Petone and Siiverstream. That and the Paekakariki highway would be ready for the opening of the Exhibition. --..._.