WAR BITTERNESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21792, 5 May 1934, Page 19

WAR BITTERNESS

SURVIVAL DEPLORED THE FEELING IN GERMANY The survival of the "war feeling," which he claims to have found in Auckland since his return here on holiday a few weeks ago, was strongly deplored by Mr. Hector Bolitho, when addressing members of the Auckland Travel Club yesterday morning. " I think, perhaps, it is that New Zealand is so far away from Europe and therefore feelings and emotions come here late and stay here late," Mr. Bolitho said. " I feel this bitterness against Germany is very dangerous and that it is going to be a terrible influence on feelings and reactions if another war came. I consider it a destroying and unfair thing." There was no one great enough in the world to be able to lay the full blame for the war at anybody's door, he considered. Ho urged people to try to realise that the German people went through as deep and terrible sensations as did everybody else during that time. It was only right and fair to understand that to the German woman in every German town, her sensations were no different from those of every woman in Auckland. " 1 have never heard one ungracious remark and 1 have never known of one ungracious incident told against the British people in any of my frequent visits to Germany," Mr. Bolitho said. The remarks made by the speaker were in the course of a vivid description of a journey from Jerusalem to Constantinople, Mr. Bolitho having made the journey last year, going by motor-car to Damascus and from there to Constantinople by train. Jerusalem had changed tremendously under British rule, he said. There was now a new Jerusalem which was being built by Zionist capital under British organisation. They had taken about 10,000 Arabs out of that city, where they lived in picturesque squalor, and had put them into little villas much more hygienic hut considerably less picturesque. One could, however, feel very proud of what the British had done in the Near East, particularly so when one had passed through the country controlled by Britain into the French territory. As an example of British control today, Palestine was quite amazing. The Jews did not understand us and we did not understand them. It was a terribly difficult thing to settle Zionists in a country which had belonged to the Arabs and which the Arabs looked upon as their own, and to ask these two peoples to live in peace together. The experiment, however, had been remarkably successful. By comparison with the cleanliness, good roads and good drainage of the territory under British control, the part controlled by the French showed up badly. To see the corruption and dirt of Damascus and other towns (,nd cities controlled by the French was both a depressing and a demoralising experience. Prior to the address, morning tea was served by the hostess, Mrs. Alfred Kidd, and a committee of ladies. Others visitors who were guests of the club included: —Miss Ferris, of New lork; Mrs H. B. Dodds. of Singapore; Mrs. H. Bolitho, Mrs. D. W. Dunlop, Mrs. McKail Geddes and Miss Bobertson, of .Auckland.