AUSTRIA AN ASSET?

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23075, 28 June 1938, Page 8

AUSTRIA AN ASSET?

No surprise is occasioned by news that Germany's absorption of Austria is creating its own share of troubles for Herr Hitler. He acquired a liability as well as an asset. With one part of the liability, Austria's burden of foreign debt, he apparently determined to deal summarily, adopting the not very original way of repudiating it. If this action is to be judged by the test of practicability—not the only test, of course, but the one probably appealing most to him —there must be admitted the possibility of success, until the time when he may happen to want financial assistance from the more powerful of Austria's creditors. However, other parts o'f the liability cannot be so conveniently handled. The most obvious is political. In spite of the negligible number of Austrians voting "No" in the plebiscite on acceptance of German rule, Herr Hitler knows that but for duress there would have been a great many more. Whispers of revolt are quite credible. It is highly unlikely, in the light of Austria's history in the past five years, that anti-Nazi feeling will either disappear voluntarily or be easily suppressed. He may decide on a "purge" as the best means of stamping out political protests, but Vienna is not Munich and it takes longer drilling in Nazi methods than Austria has yet borne to ensure complete results. And the difficulties aro more than political. The Austrian people are mainly Catholics; the religious weakness in the HomeBerlin axis will particularly manifest itself now that Austria is integrally involved, and the Nazi programme for the Churches will have to be modified throughout the extended Reich unless it is to become a more vexing popular grievance. To this dilemma may be quickly added an economic evil of considerable gravity: these Austrian people, after trials enough to make ends meet, cannot be expected to tolerate lightly a depletion of food supplies to help Germany, as is suggested to-day. Vienna cannot subsist on its music, its art treasures, or its museums, even if jt .were allowed to ;fcrjr*