BATTLE OF THE SAAR

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18528, 15 October 1934, Page 8

BATTLE OF THE SAAR

EMBITTERED CONFLICT RESULT IN DOUBT STRONG- GERMAN EFFORT (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn,) (Received Oct. 15, 2 p.m.) LONDON, Oet. 14. The Snarbruckon Correspondent of the British United Press says:— This, is a no man’s land battleground. The conflict is not loss cmbitterbd because it is waged with spiritual weapons, including all the forces of suggestion, such as fear, malice, and greed. Herr Jakob Pirro, the German leader, is essentially a man of action, organiser and orator. He claims 480,000 adherents, of whom 8(1,000 arc German trade unionists. The latter were largely influenced by Herr Peter Kieft'cr, who is a Catholic, and admits that he threw in his lot with the German front only after a long debate, and has now decided that unless the Saar returns to Germany on January 13 it will open a sore.

The trouble with the anti-German faction is that it lacks a single dynamic leader and influential press, while its anti-German policy is necessarily vague. Jt is not even known whether the anti-'German vote in favor of maintaining the status quo will decide the issue for all time, or whether a further vote will bo taken later.

The most capable leader of the status quo policy is Herr Hoffman, editor of the Neue Saar Post. He believes that 30 per cent of the voters favor a return to Germany, 30 per cent favor the status quo, and 40 per cent are still undecided.