GERMAN PREPARATIONS

Grey River Argus, 11 September 1939, Page 4

GERMAN PREPARATIONS

NEW ZEALANDER’S VISIT. RECENT BERLIN AUCKLAND, September e. | “Certainly Germany is organised on ■ a war-time basis,’’ said Mr R. 14. Walker, headmaster of Te Kao Nat’vo School, North Auckland, bn his return by the Maunganui after a world tour which included a recent visit to Europe. "Every second man in Berlin was in uniform, and movements o. troops were seen everywhere,” he added. “Hundreds of aeroplanes roared overhead. “We crossed into Germany through barbed wire entanglements and huge sharp steel spikes set in the roadway." Mr Walker said. “The Nazi, flag floated over the military post, and a huge picture of Hitler adorned the wall o!' the customs house. But one became used to those multitudes of flags and portraits and the universal Nazi salute. Everywhere there was an atmosphere of confidence and a fanatical belief in Hitler and his creed,” he said. Mr Walker said youths in Germany W’ere required t o spend six months in the State labour camps and two years in the army. For the compulsory labour service, there were two reasons, economic and educational. Because o’ the economic reason large areas of Waste lana were being converted into crop-growing districts with the object of making Germany self-suffl- [ cient. , | Young girls were shortly to bei drawn into the labour service, to work I in country homes helping with the cooking, housework and the care of Ihe children. As nearly all the men were in military or labo'ur camps, there was no unemployment' in Germany and there were no beggars : There were plenty of luxuries in the shops and the people were well-dress-ed, although the women were forbidden by law to use lipsticks