AFFAIRS IN EUROPE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22026, 5 February 1935, Page 11

AFFAIRS IN EUROPE

THE RUMOURS OF WAR , " GREATLY EXAGGERATED " Impressions of conditions in European countries he hsid recently visited were related by Mr. William Teeling, a member of the governing council of the Overseas League, when he was entertained at luncheon in Wellington last week by the Neiv Zealand Club. He expressed the opinion that the talk of war and of preparation for war was greatly exaggerated. He said that nine-tenths of the people had no knowledge of what was going on outside their own country, and he appealed for support for organisations such as the Overseas League so that they might; have a better knowledge of the Empire and what it stood fo:;. Mr. Teeling said "that his European tours had not been nade de luxe, but more or less on tramp lines, though not entirely so. Am:mg the ordinary, everyday people of Europe there was a better understanding of the general conditions than obtained some years ago, and all this tiJk of war and of preparation for w;y was extremely exaggerated. Having visited those countries he would say 111 at there was no more risk of war than at any other normal time in history. He would go further than that, and say thero wa« probably less of it at the moment. One must look at Germany as a whole, and not the details, said Mr. Teeling. He had had in interesting conversation with Herr Thyssen, head oF the German steel trust, who was largely instrumental in bringing Herr Hitler into power. It was a matter of interest that Herr Thyssen was an active and practising Roman Catholic. He mentioned that because there was a Roman Catholic problem as well as a Jewish one. Herr Thyssen had said to Mr. Teeling he thought the best thing he could say about Hitler w.is that he was a dreamer and an idealist, that he was looking ahead into the future, and was convinced of the sanity and good sens.e of the German people,, and that by giving them a little rope they would eventually settle down in a reasonable way. In the meantime Hitler was concentrating on the bigg'jsit necessary thing in Germany, and that was to revive the people's pride and spirit. It might be said that would le;ad to war, but he did not think so. Mr. Teeling said that in his opinion if there was any chance of war in Europe to-day it would be in consequence of unemployment. Hitler wsis settling down to the big idea of dealing with this problem.