CRUELTY TO JEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23109, 6 August 1938, Page 21

CRUELTY TO JEWS

OUTRAGES IN VIENNA AUSTRIAN NAZIS TO BLAME AUCKLAND MAN'S IMPRESSIONS The opinion that outrages against Jews in Austria since Hitler's invasion last March have been the work of youthful members of •the Austrian Nazi Party rather than of Nazis from Germany was expressed by Mr. P. S. Milne, of Milne «and Choyce, Limited, who returned by the Mariposa yesterday from a business visit to Europe and the United States. Mr. Milne's European tour included visits to Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia, his stay in these countries coinciding with tho famous fairs at Leipzig, Vienna and Prague respectively. Peaching Vienna the. day after Hitler's arrival, Mr. Milne said he found' Nazi officials everywhere, in the streets, in the la'rge shops and in the hotels. During a stay of four days in the city he had witnessed no instances of' ill-treatment of Jews. Undoubtedly persecution and ill-treatment of Jews did occur, but this was apparently done by youthful members of tho Austrian Nazi Party. About the city were hundreds of anti-Jewish signs bearing such inscriptions as " Jews are Traitors."

To obtain frank views in Germany on the Hitler regime was extremely difficult. People were afraid to say anything, and if they did they would swear their listeners to secrecy. It was held by many, however, that Hitler had been the salvation of the country. And Hitler remained very definitely in command of Germanj. r l he strict censorship of the press in Germany was particularly • noticeable to tho visitor, he said. Foreign newspapers were allowed into the country, but if they contained" anything contrary to German policy they were confiscated. Actually the great number of the people were unaware of what was going on in the outside world.

In England the people were definitely behind Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Milne added. The feeling was widely held that he had made things much easier in Europe. Mr. Chamberlain was well entrenched and if an election were held to-morrow ho would he returned.