COLLAPSE OF DICTATORS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19340, 2 June 1937, Page 8

COLLAPSE OF DICTATORS

ECONOMIST'S PREDICTION ’ LESS RISK OF WAR LONDON, April !>. “Pot tiro -democracies of o t }'° worst is passed, ” says . n . Layton, famous economist, el , businessman and fo*“ er League ol Nations economic adviser. “Not only is the risk of war less than six months ago but in Pa • French statesmen and observers best qualified to fool the pulse of European opinion, faro the spring with growing confidence.” . ' .. All reports from the Continent to-

day boar out the assumption that the tide lias at last turned in Europe in favour of democracies. Britain’s rearmament, tho Italian defeat outside Madrid, German military leaders’ discovery that their airplanes and tanks failed to stand against Russia's war equipment in Spain, the relative success of Blum's “ new deal ” in rehabilitating France’s economic life, strengthening of Little Entente nations against tho possibility of German or Italian attack —all these facts show a. decline of dictatorships’ dominance and the growing ability of democratic countries once more to control Europe’s policies. The economic difficulties of Germany and Italy, and the ever-mounting pile of debt also have had pacifying influence. Symptomatic of the change in European affairs is the decision of tho

French Government to make no further attempt to conciliate or yield to Signor Mussolini, whose working agreement with Herr Hitler is now felt in Paris to be largely a sham and certain to break down at the first heavy strain put upon it. Tho growing subordination of Herr Hitler to tho German general stuff, which insists that Germany must not embroil herself in Spain is yet another encouraging factor. All that is now necessary for a decisive setback to German and Italian aggression is the withdrawal of German and Italian troops from Spain. Should this be brought about either by international agreement or by pressure of events, the defeat of General Franco, now believed to be likely, would mean collapse of Fascist and "Nazi hopes of a spread of dictatorships to Western Europe.