GERMAN ELECTIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 30 March 1936, Page 5

GERMAN ELECTIONS

INTENSIVE PRO-HITLER CAMPAIGN 90 PER CENT. VOTE EXPECTED BERLIN, 27th March. Over 45,000,000 Germans, including those in the Saar, are entitled to vote in the Reichstag elections on Sunday This excludes 400,000 disfranchised Jews, therefore it is reasonable to suppose that the vote will he unanimous in favour of the Hitler Party. Every 00,000 voters can return one member to the Reichstag, which under the Nazi regime has no powers and invariably approves with cheers any measures submitted to it. There is only one ballot paper, which does not provide for a negative vote against the list of Nazi candidates, but merely hears circles in which voteis are expected to place crosses in approval of Nazi candidates and of Herr Hitler’s policy. Therefore it is easy to understand why a 90 per cent. proHitler vote is anticipated. Nevertheless, Socialists and Communists, at the risk of their liberty and possibly of their lives, are distributing subterraneoualy millions of anti-Nazi pamphlets urging the people to vote “No,” though the methods of recording a negative vote, short of invalidating the ballot papers Is not explained. This propaganda is amplified by the parodying of election slogans, ft iid the anonymous scrawling of antiHitler jokes on walls. The'Minister of Propaganda _ (Dr Goelibels) has eclipsed himself m his high-pressure pro-Hitler campaign, which includes special films, continuous wireless speeches from loud speakers in main streets and rural highways, stickers on taxi windows, and posters on automobiles, lorries full of Nazis singing slogans, river barges with bands, streamers from house to house, and canvassing by Nazi leaders. There will be a nation-wide demonstration of mass unity, starting tliie afternoon with the hoisting of swastika flags and lasting until the polls close. The Berlin correspondent of "The Times” comments that many who feel r patriotically hound to support HenHitler will do so in fear and trembling that they are delivering the Fatherland to a new wave of Nazi fanaticism. EARLY MORNING SCENE (Received 30th March, 8.50 a.m.) BERLIN, 29th March. Herr Hitler and Dr. Goebbcls have returned from Cologne. Both voted early. A blare of brass bands, the tramp of Brown Shirts and Black Guards, and the rattle of long strings of lorries packed

with youngsters of the Labour Front and Hitler Youth and other organisations resounded through Berlin, streets early in the morning, the occupants waving dags and shouting, to order, “Wake up, slothful citizens.” Brown-shirted sandwichmcn stood outside booths carrying boards on which was the slogan, “My vote is my thanks to the Fulmer.’’ Booths at railway stations remain open until midnight. ALL DIFFERENCES FORGOTTEN The Zeppelins Hindenburg and Graf Zeppelin again issued propaganda oyer Hie Rhineland, flying low and blaring messages, “vote tor Hitler” from loud speakers. Reports state that all Germany is voting early. Many villages announced that all the inhabitants had voted by 11.30 a.m. All differences were forgotten to-day. For instance, the Reverend Mother of a convent at Waldassen asked for a polling station within the convent walls so that every nun could vote for Hitler. The inhabitants of some villages formed up and marched in a body to the poll. Trains bringing exiles from abroad were specially welcomed. ' GETTING EVERY VOTE (Received 30th March, 10.35 a.m.) LONDON, 29th March. Twenty Germans working at Croydon aerodrome flew to Cologne in order to vote. PARIS, 29th March. The whole German Embassy staff flew to Cologne to vote. VOTERS IN SOUTH AFRICA CAPETOWN, 28th March. Several German liners and tramp ships in the neighbourhood of South Africa have been ordered to interrupt their voyages to pick up German residents in various cities and transport them outside the three-mile limit to enable them to vole. PROPAGANDA BY AIR BERLIN, 28th March. Berlin had the greatest thrill in the election campaign this evening when the airships Hindenburg and Graff Zeppelin, completing a four-day propaganda cruise, flew over the city amid floodlights and dropped thousands of tiny parachutes flying swastika flags and scattered millions of election handbills for which thousands of spectators in the streets scrambled. MEETING OF THE REICHSTAG BERLIN, 29th March. It is regarded as almost certain that the Reichstag will be summoned oil Tuesday to hear Herr Hitler's reply to the Locarno Powers. SITUATIQpOT RELIEVED GERMAN CONCESSIONS NOT INDICATED ATTITUDE' OF RIBBENTROP LONDON, 27th March. Herr von Ribbentrop s interview with Mr Eden has not relieved the situation. “The Times’s” diplomatic'writer savs that Germany’s attitude is still uncoilstructive. Although the idea of international police has been shelved, Herr von Ribbentrop has not indicated concessions regarding either reference to the Hague Court 4 or* refortification of the Rhineland, vet it has been felt in London that the latter would have been very helpful. Moreover, as only it small delay would he involved, Germany would not be sacrificing vital interest. The diplomatic correspondent of the “Manchester Guardian” says that Herr von Ribbcntrop’s attitude verged on the undiplomatic, resulting in something approaching an Anglo-German crisis. Fieri- von Ribbentrop especially objected to Britain’s continued collaboration with France and Belgium, which Germany resents as it thwarts one of the main objects of German policy, which is“tlie separation of France, and Britain. Indeed, unless German can play off one against thj other, she has no interest in making anv concessions. it is understood that Mr Eden asked Herr von Ribbentrop to convey to Herr Hitler the importance of the point that counter-proposals .should not be another vast scheme embracing an almost limitless future, but practical suggestions bridging the difficult immediate future, as a prelude to larger discussions. FRENCH PESSIMISM The Parts correspondent of “The Times” says that M. Flandin, Foreign Secretary, described Mr Eden’s statement as most satisfactory, and after a conference with the Premier, M. Sarraut, announced thUt he would make an important speech on the diplomatic situation.

Nevertheless, pessimism is developing. In official circles ft is [minted out that if France has nothing > more to surrender and Germany refuses concessions negotiations would he fruitless, and accordingly the only possibility is the formation of a bloc of peaceful and resolute nations determined to stand against aggression in any form. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Paris correspondent says that Government loans have been steadily falling since the occupation of the Rhineland, and in some cases reached new low records. The most ominous figure jin the Bank of France’s return is an increase of nearly £14,000,000 in private discounts, indicating withdrawal of deposits, especially in eastern districts, which? however, has ceased. The “Daily Telegraph’s’* city editor says that tlie French are transferring cash to London, and only official intervention prevented the franc depreciating to a level at which gold would be withdrawn from France, producing fresh rumours of devaluation. ’l’lie Berlin correspondent of the “Sunday Times” says that official circles are reticent and Press comment is meagre owing to orders for the attitude to be adopted not yet having been received. Occasional paragraphs devoted to Mr Eden do not suggest that Germany is ready to contribute towards a restoration of confidence, DISFAVOUR IN ROME ‘‘The Times's” Rome correspondent says that Mr Eden’s speech has met with the disfavour which is usually accorded to his acts and utterances. Air Eden's professions and attachment to the Lea gue are criticised as inconsistent with the British arbitrarily sending the fleet to the Mediterranean and making anti-Italian agreements with Mediterranean countries. CONFERENCE WITH HITLER COLOGNE, 27th March. Herr von Ribbontrop has arrived and immediately conferred with Herr HiCler, who is week-ending *m the neighbouring spa at Lodesburg,

STAFF DISCUSSIONS

SUGGESTED POSTPONEMENT REFUSED MR EDEN FIRM (Received 30th March, 8.50 a.m.) LONDON. 28th March. According jc the “Sunday Tunes” diplomatic correspondent Herr von Ribbentrop suggested to Mr Eden that it would ho better if discussions between the British, French, and Belgian general staffs were postponed because they were causing concern in Berlin. Mr Eden firmly replied that the conversations must proceed as they represented the Powers’ decision as distinct from the proposal to Germany. (Ministerial circles in London point out that staffs are purely temporary and limited to fulfilling a clause of the White Paper which provides that the German breach has not freed the. signatories from their liabilities. If the negotiations are successful, the Gel-man staff will doubtless participate in conversations necessitated by mutual assur. ance pacts. OPPORTUNITYFOR GERMANY TO MAKE CONSTRUCTIVE CONTRIBUTION ENGLISH NEWSPAPER COMMENT (British Official WireleHa) (Received 30th March. 10.50 a.m.) RUGBY, 28th March. It is not anticipated that the promised reply in full by the German Government to the proposals worked out in the Loudon meetings of the other Locarno Powers will be available before Tuesday or Wednesday, but the Foreign Secretary (Mi- Anthony Eden) will be in a position to report on his talks with the German envoy (Herr von Ribbentrop) before he left yesterday to see Herr Hitler Newspaper comment is largely withhold pending further developments, but the tendency is to dwell on the opportunity which it offers to the German Government to make a constructive contribution, and the hope is expressed that Herr von Ribbentrop, as the result of his interviews with Mr Stanley Baldwin and Mr Eden will be able to impress on the Chancellor the need for.a helpful German response. GOERING ONCONCESSIONS CAN WAIT TILL DOMESDAY BERLIN, 27th March. » “If you are awaiting the concessions you are thinking of you will wait until Domesday,” declared General Goermg Air Minister, speaking in the Deutschland Hall. “Does Mr Eden think we are the same as the previous German Government, who always paid ‘All right go ahead’ ? Versailles would have been impossible if we had had Herr Hitler in 1918. Jews are always with the Bolsheviks on the anti-German front. We have .seen the Jew Litvinov in London battling about conciliation of nations. Jews have been associated with Bolsheviks in recent events .in Spain, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil." peace Talks ITALY WILL NOT PARTICIPATE UNLESS SANCTIONS ARE RAISED LONDON, 28th March. According to the diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Mail,” Italy has already intimated her refusal to join any European peace talks unless sanctions are raised. The French Government is sympathetic toward Italy on this point, hut thus far Mr Eden declines to discuss the calling-off of sanctions until Italo-Abyssinian peace terms have been arranged. FRENCH FRONTIER POLICE AEROPLANES PATROLLING PARIS, 28th March. The Air Ministry announces that a special corps of fast police aeroplanes has been established to patrol the frontier, especially along the Maginot defence line, over which two German aeroplanes it is alleged have flown recently. The ’planes will be fitted with special cameras, enabling them to photograph “suspect” ’planes, thus providing concrete evidence in support of diplomatic protests. “Le Journal” states that Mr Eden proposed a conference of the Locarno Powers at Brussels early in April, not to reopen the discussion on the White Paper, but to see how to adopt any proposals from Ilerr Hitler. M. Flandin is reported to have agreed.