TRADE IN GERMANY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21911, 21 September 1934, Page 13

TRADE IN GERMANY

GOOD IMPRESSIONS AUSTRALIAN'S OBSERVATIONS Although he had not set out to study economic or social conditions in Germany, but had confined his attention mainly to investigating technical aspects of the steel industry, Mr. T. A. Griffiths, of Broken Hill, is on his way back to -Australia with good impressions of the country. Mr. Griffiths, who was a passenger by the Maunganui, which arrived at Wellington from San Francisco, is an official of the Broken Hill Steel Chemical Company. In company with Mr. R. C. Irving, metallurgist of the company, he has spent the past seven months visiting steel works in England, Europe and the United States.

The steel position in Germany, as also in England, seemed to be on an upward trend, Mr. Griffiths said. Germany was working now at about 50 per cent capacity, whereas until a short time ago it was 10 to 15 per cent. When he was in the United States the steel works were doing about 30 per cent capacity. The German employers whom he had spoken to attributed the increase to Hitler's economic policy; he himself had had no means of forming an independent opinion on this. When asked whether he had seen or heard anything relating to armament manufacturing in Germany, Mr. Griffiths said he had not. In the works he had looked through his movements had been quite unrestricted. Everyone was very hospitable and seemed free in imparting the information he asked for. An outstanding feature of his visit, Mr. Griffiths remarked, was the sincerity and openmindedness of those he came in contact with. There was apparently a very friendly feeling toward England. He had missed the pre-elec-tion shooting in Berlin, and while he was there everything he saw was quite orderly and peaceful. There were uniforms everywhere in the cities, but he did not see any arms being carried, even by the Nazi, or "Hitler" private army, which was being used as an auxiliary to the bluecoat police force. Ln Essen he saw at one time a uniform parade of 27,000 boys from the city and surrounding district.

An aspect of conditions in France that had interested him, Mr. Griffiths said, was the manner in which agriculture was being fostered; every piece of ground he had seen outside the cities was under cultivation. Holland seemed in a fairly bad way, and had felt heavily the raising of a high tariff wall in England against some important Dutch exporting industries. Belgium was similarly depressed economically. "Everywhere in England without exception people commented to me on the satisfactory way in which Australia and New Zealand are regaining their economic balance." Mr. Griffiths concluded.