THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 93, 17 October 1939, Page 8

THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER

The economic aspect of the Nazi sale of Baltic rights has more than passing interest. Last week a message from Kaunas stated that a consignment of 17-£ tons of gold from Moscow passed through Lithuania by rail for Berlin "apparently under obligations arising from the recent German-Soviet economic agreement." At the time this seemed inexplicable, for Germany in the interval could scarcely have delivered to Russia goods to the value of 17£ tons of gold, and Russia was unlikely to make such a payment in advance. The report by "The Times" Riga correspondent of a political sale may be the explanation. The price in gold of Germany's Baltic nationals, the correspondent states, "enables Herr Hitler to purchase ores from Sweden and other war materials wherever they can be procured." Germany's need for gold was indicated yesterday in a quotation from the Swedish newspaper "Tidnirigen": "Germany states she can take all Scandinavian exports. That Germany cannot pay for them one regards of course quite calmly in Germany." Because one does not regard it so calmly in Scandinavia, Germany has sought to get gold—even at a high price. The proceeds of the Baltic deal are, however, not highly impressive. A consignment of 17-£ tons of gold seems impressive—till the value is worked out. This cannot be done exactly, as there is no troy-weight ton, even if it could be assumed that the original message were more than a rough guess at the weight of the consignment. Taking the guess, however, as somewhere near the mark, the consignment, at present gold prices, would be worth from £4,500,000 to £5,000,000 sterling. That will not last long in buying war munitions, or the raw materials for them. New Zealand obtained from Great Britain this year £5,000,000 credit for approved Government purchases (including

defence equipment) and £4,000,000 for private imports. Germany cannot go far on half of what New Zealand is finding inadequate. The war economic effect of Hitler's betrayal of the Baltic Germans is, therefore, likely to be small. But there are other effects. "The Times" quotation of the comments of the more mature evacuees suggests that they are perceived. Hitler has bis thirty pieces of silver —ancl Russia has the potter's field.