STILL ON THE CARDS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13180, 12 February 1936, Page 5

STILL ON THE CARDS.

A CERMAN-ITALO AGREEMENT.

SITUATION WORSE THAN 1914

United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, February 11. The possibility of an understanding between Italy and Germany continues to be discussed.

The Daily Mail’s Paris correspondent emphasises that it is growing clearer daily that Mussolini may be forced by the League’s continued hostility to declare that Italy will no longer guarantee the Locarno Pact, thus enabling Germany to claim that the whole treaty has lapsed.

M. Flandin realises the danger, but is still hopeful that he can manoeuvre to maintain a vital link with London without estranging Romo. He is also apparently optimistic of some early and acceptable settlement between Italy and Abyssinia enabling a re-establishment of the Stresa front (between Italy, France and Britain). If this is not done many believe the next move will be some working agreement between Rome and Berlin. The Daily Mail’s Rome correspondent says it is officially denied that Italy is negotiating an understanding with Germany and it cannot be doubted that Italy would prefer to keep the Stresa front in existence if possible. Nevertheless, it is asserted that Italy cannot indefinitely keen up even the appearance of friendship with nations doing their utmost to prevent a successful solution of the conflict between Italy and Abyssinia.. Italians consider they have been betrayed and this feeling will probably continue to rankle long after the East African campaign is finished. The interruption of Italian trade with England and France has already intensified commercial relations with. Germany and commercial relations are often the forerunner of close political relations. It is declared tin* day may not be far distant* when Italy will be obliged to adopt an official policy more in keeping with the realities of the present situation. ENGLISHMAN’S GRAVE VIEW. LONDON, February 10. “Never have I found such widespread foreboding, of war as during the Continental journey from which J. have just returned," writes Mr Ward Price in the Daily Mail. “Things are far worse than they were in 1914.” There was the general phrase that the present warlike preparations cannot continue without an explosion, lie said. Mr Price ridicules General Smuts’ opinion that the war talk is mostly bluff, and contends that behind the present situation are the same causes as formerly, namelv. strong nations with unsatisfied grievances and ambitions of which Germany the most formidable aims at taking over the Polish Corridor and satisfying Poland for that by conquests from Russia. He points out that the Fra,neoBritish talks with M. Tukaclievsyi, who lias been visiting British munition. factories, and conferring with the War and Air Ministers, inspire

misgivings in Germany, where they are taken as evidence of attempts at an encirclement although they are merely part of a vague Geneva plan lor collective security. Nevertheless, however much they contribute to Russian security, they will be fatal to British security, if they provoke Germany to strike west instead of east.

“I had an hour’s talk with Signor Mussolini recently,” he writes. “It left an impression of the danger Britain runs in creating community interests between Germany, Japan, and Italy, all of which are intent on acquiring colonies. “So- far there is no evidence of a German-ltalian £ btmd,’ but inside of German merchandise which is being imported in greatly increased quantities to Italy owing to sanctions, is often found a printed message, always in the same words : ‘Hold on until the spring’.’’ AUSTRIA’S ITALIAN LEANING. LONDON, February 10 Discussing the future of central Europe. Prince Starhemberg, in an exclusive interview with the Daily iVl<'graph’s diplomatic correspondent, said that his most serious concern was that the weakening of Italy by the Abyssinian war might disturb the* balance of power in Europe. He still feels that the Italian army com stitutes the only substantial force to which Austria "could look for succour in case of a German attempt to overrun her. “Austria to-day,” he said, ‘‘is content with her present borders. Her people ask only for security against aggression. Our need is for increased confidence among the Danubian peoples so that we may approach the ideal of United States of Cntral Europe.” “It is for this reason” he said “that we resist the Nazi theory of “One race, one fatherland.’ That policy would lead to two opposing camps, Pan-Germanism versus PanSlavism. and result in the destruction of Europe.” Prince Starhemberg denied that the youth of Austria was strongly pro-Nazi, and said that the young and the older people realised that an Austrian could be a good German without being a Nazi. It was only the section between the ages of 26 and 35 who had Nazi sympathies, liny acquired those views during the years when the newly-formed Austrian Republic was unable to supply all their wants.