RUSH TO LEAVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23175, 22 October 1938, Page 15

RUSH TO LEAVE

VISITORS IN ENGLAND EFFECT OF WAR THREAT. OPINIONS IN GERMANY "The effect of the crisis in Europe was clearly seen on the ship by which I travelled from England to Australia," said Mr. G. H. Morrish, of Whangarei, when ho arrived at Auckland by the Awatea from Sydney yesterday after a holiday visit of several months to Great Britain. "The Largs Bay," he said, "left England with about 500 passengers, of whom about 60 were coming on to New Zealand, and many of them mado a last-minute rush to join the ship, cancelling tho remainder of their plans for a holiday in the United Kingdom in order to reach homo before war broke out. "When we reached the Mediterranean the position there had become very difficult and many of tho passengers showed considerable anxiety that they would not ho able to get back to Australia and New Zealand in time. Later, when it became clear that Hitler was going to act, some of tho womenfolk, in particular, became very nervous and it was with intense relief that wo learned that tho crisis was over." Ono of the passengers on the Largs Bay, Mr. Morrish continued, was a Viennese doctor fleeing to Australia and he had voiced tho opinion that the Nazis were in the minority in Germany. Because they had tho power and authority, however, there could be no prospect of redemption for tho country unless embroilment with outside nations so distracted the Nazis from their internal affairs that the rest of the Germans would be given a chance to organise against them. This opinion that the Nazis were in a minority, said Mr. Morrish, was supSorted by tho views of a prominent 'ew Zealander, who was now in a high position in London. This man, whose name could not be disclosed, had paid a recent visit to Germany and ho had told Mr. Morrish on his return that there were at least 23,000,000 Germans who were opposed to their State grasping any further outside possessions.