LUNCHEON TALK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22429, 27 May 1936, Page 5

LUNCHEON TALK

LOCAL BUSINESS GIRLS The fortnightly luncheon talk for the business girls of the city was held in the Milne and Choyce Reception Hall yesterday. The speaker was Professor R. M. Algie, who took for his subject "Some Thoughts on the Political Situation in Central Europe." The speaker was welcomed by Mr. Robert Milne and introduced to the gathering. "Although 1 am not among those who maintain that the vanity and ambition of the Kaiser were entirely responsible for the Great War," Professor Algie said, "1 consider they played 110 insignificant part in the war." in discussing the conditions in Central Europe, the speaker said the question of the moment was, who was to control Austria. At present Germany and Italy were both competing. In his opinion, if a free election were to take place in Austria to-morrow, the result might quite conceivably be in favour of German control. Austria was not in a position to be independent. She had too much internal trouble, with seven political parties striving for mastery, if she were under the wing of a stronger country such as Germany it might help toward some measure of security. As to the question of war itself, Professor Algie said the rank and file of the German public loathed war no less than the British, but for 15 or 18 years the Germans had been told they were a depressed people surrounded by enemies, with France on the left and Russia on the right. If people were fed on the doctrine of war they had to be given something to show them the glory of military success. Whereas the Italian influence was never weaker in Central Europe than it was to-day. in Austria and Czechoslovakia the German influence was never stronger.