THE GERMAN MIND TO-DAY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26214, 26 July 1946, Page 6

THE GERMAN MIND TO-DAY

For the Daily Times By W. R. Sinclair

LONDON, July 12. Are the Germans suffering from malnutrition? Are they repentant? Is there still a Nazi Party? Are . the Germans being equitably controlled by the Allies? Do they believe Hitler is dead? For a week members of the Empire Press Union touring delegation have been probing in Germany to find, if possible, satisfying answers to these and kindred questions. Press representatives' conclusions are not those of the average passing tourist. Trained to observe, to inquire, to sift evidence, the members of this delegation were furnished with unrivalled facilities to reach a balanced judgment through contact not only with British officials, but also with Germans who are leaders to-day in political, social, religious, and educational movements, and to some extent with the common people. As to malnutrition, the answer is “ yes and no.” No, as far as the country people, with their farm facilities, are concerned. No, as far as those who have access to black market goods are concerned, and they seem to be legion. Yes, as far as many of the town residents are concerned. Many of the children are beginning to show signs of malnutrition in the form of body sores, malformation of teeth, and loss of weight. This is reported from the schools. A diet that is principally bread every day, with very little milk or butter and- not much meat and potatoes, must have this effect. The next harvest is expected to make an improvement.

The Hitler Myth To the questions. Are they repentant and are there still Nazis, the answers are also pro and con. I put it to a New Zealand soldier, who said all they grieve about is that they lost the war. A German journalist, on the other hand, assured me they know they were in the wrong, and realise they are entitled to suffer. A German profesor of education said the young people, were increasingly inquiring about democracy, and a German Catholic clergyman said there was a revival of church-going amongst young as well as old. We told him the allegorical story that every German when asked if he were a Nazi, replied, “No —but Herr Schmidt is!" I asked him michievously if possibly his name was Schmidt. When he understood the implication he laughed heartily. A high British official assured us there remained no Nazi Party. Standing gazing on two mounds which we were told indicated the spot where the bodies of Hitler and Eva Braun were incinerated and the ’ spot where Goebbels’s body was- similarly treated, we tried a group of German workmen and women with the question, “Is Hitler dead? A verydefinite negative was the response. We were told that this attitude is common. And thus Hitler qualifies for mythology. British Policy As to the justice apd effectiveness of Allied control, the impression gained was that a central instead of a quadripartite governing body would be more satisfactory: The British and Americans favoured a central control over Germany as a whole, and the Russians favoured the eventual adoption of this, but it was suspected they preferred to delay in the expectation that their hope of success in spreading the gospel of Communism over the other zones would be realised. Com-ment-from representative Germans in the British zone was that they did not want Communism. The French, of course, wanted the Ruhr segregated, and therefore did not favour a central government over a united Germany. Speaking of control of the British zone, we gathered that it was-working fairly well, but of late there had been a tendency to complain tha* the rehabilitation was not proceeding at a

A Survey in the* British Zone

fast enough pace, and that better conditions applied in the Russian zone. / This may or may not be true, for Russia still in refusing to allpw a peep behmd the curtain. The Britisn control would like to move faster, but finds its path blocked by one prosaic wor'd —coal. It all came back to that, just as to a large extent it does in Britain to-day. It had a bearing on the social as well as the economic problem in Germany. 'With insufficient coal, production could not be speeded up, consumer goods could not be manufactured, and work could not be provided for the people. Without work of a useful character, and consumer goods, the people were without hope for the future; without hope and prospects there could be no contentment and reasonable ambition; without contentment there could be no regeneration. And so it all comes back to coal. Reparations In Reverse We felt a lot of sympathy with the British authorities in their difficult task. They take the humanitarian view that however much it may have deserved punishment, no nation should be allowed to starve.- But at the same time they recognise that m . paying £80.000.000 to support Germany and receiving reverse trade of only £10.000,000. Britain is in effect paying reparations to Germany instead of receiving them. British control wants more coal in order that the British taxpayer may get more reverse trade from Germany and that the German people may at the same time benefit by increasing employment.

The girls and -women are not badly dressed. It is suggested that apart from black market contacts this must be partly due to conserving pre-war garments. So many buildings and industries have been destroyed that one wonders where the -people work. We saw queues at cinemas. Shoes are more difficult than clothes, and in winter lack of shoes keeps some children from school. Homes must be shared, on the basis of two rooms to a family, although obviously this could not be adhered to in the case of large families. Hundreds of women of all ages were engaged on clearing up rubbish, and naturally they had a drab appearance. Extra rations are provided for heavy labour, and doubtless they share in this. We were told that 43,000.000 bricks in Berlin had been cleaned for rebuilding. Estates of over 1200 acres were being cut up. The trees that beautified the Tiergarten were damaged by war, and the stumps were removed, leaving this place of beauty a wilderness, which is being subdivided into vegetable allotments. We were told there is a five-year plan for the clearing of rubble in Berlin and a 20-year plan for rebuilding. Showing the Way A special Government department controls newspapers, wireless, cinemas, theatres, and books. Its ideal is Christian humanism. As far as is reasonable, it entrusts the management of the newspapers, etc., to the German people, and sees to it that they conduct them along democratic lines. In the same way, having destroyed the old Nazi text' books, it entrusts German teachers, under the eye of an inspectorate, to run the schools. Generally, the British control proceeds on the lines that if a new way of life is to be induced, it is more likely to be achieved by precept and practice than by attempts to bludgeon the people into the paths of righteousness. The policy may be criticised as lacking in virility—as something of a " spare the rod and spoil the child ” attitude. But it is the British way, and it has succeeded in the past, so maybe it will succeed once more, even in this unfruitful field. Meanwhile, the passion of the Germans for music seems to burn as brightly as ever, and maybe in this there is hope.