The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1932. CHANGE IN GERMANY

Southland Times, Issue 21717, 1 June 1932, Page 4

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1932. CHANGE IN GERMANY

The fall of the Bruening Government may have very grave consequences, particularly if by any chance it leads to the enlargement of the influence of the Nazis in German politics. Following close on their victory in Prussia has come their success in Oldenburg, and while the immediate cause of Dr Bruening’s resignation was the trade union objection to further emergency taxation, there is also a report that President Hindenburg has come more positively under the influence of the military section in German politics. Up to this, Hindenburg has stood firmly behind Dr. Bruening, and seems to have held aloof from the militarists, and undoubtedly his close association with his Chancellor was one of the causes of the victory in the election which returned him to office. Whether this new military influence leans towards the Conservative side or not is in doubt, but one thing clear is that Germany at the present moment requires a strong man at the helm, and one in whose pacific intentions France is convinced. It is clear that Hitler, by his recent pro-British pronouncements, has the idea that a closer sympathy for Britain could be used as an offset to French antagonism, which will surely flare up if Hitler or any of his nominees obtain control of the German policy. The rise of Herriot in France and the downfall of Tardieu were favourable symptoms, and lately we have had M. Painleve declaring bluntly that war debts and reparations must go. If French political opinion can be steered into and kept upon this road, the chance of progress towards inevitable cancellation will be expedited; but the replacement of Dr. Bruening by a Nazi fire-eater will immediately cause a reaction in France against which the more reasonable political elements will find it difficult to make headway. Dr. Bruening has not the good fortune to possess personal qualities fitting him to deal with the masses. He is more like the dean of a college than the leader of a popular government, but he has courage and unremitting firmness. No one in the whole history of Germany has ruled with a heavier hand insofar as taxation is concerned. In a tremendous effort to balance the budget and meet the reparations, Bruening has imposed tax on tax, even after he had reached what was then believed to be the limit of taxation, and President Hindenburg stood firmly at his back while the load was being increas-. ed. Dr. Bruening declared recently that Germany could not pay any more under the Young Plan, and, indeed, it is surprising that she has paid so much. She has made an extraordinary effort to meet the Young Plan requirements, but it has been obvious for a long time that the returns from her export trade were not sufficient to bear the strain and once the flow of loans out of which she made her payments was diminished as a result of the banking up of her interest bill, the end of the payments must come. The militarists cannot do any better, but if Hindenburg has gone over to them a stiffening in France’s attitude may prevent any ameliorative action. A few days ago observers were bemoaning the fact that a section of the British Government was eager to have war debt payments resumed, but if any step in that direction was likely to prejudice the Lausanne Conference, the fall of Dr. Bruening may have reactions that are even worse. France at present is without a Ministry, because the leaders cannot combine and none of them so far can command a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. Foreign policy is the stumbling block, and probably M. Tardieu, and those who

still believe in dealing firmly with Germany will feel that their hands are strengthened. If President Hindenburg has been influenced by the sectional successes of the Nazis, he has forgotten the peculiar character of the vote which sent him back as President. It was not a militarist vote, but it represented that part of the electorate which was anxious to follow a safe course of moderation, avoiding the Fascism of Hitler, the extreme radicalism of the Communists, and the mailed defiance of the old soldiers ready to use force again if necessary. Dr. Bruening does not control the Reichstag, and his hold on office has been dependent on the President’s readiness to give assent to emergency decrees, and this explains the Chancellor’s action in pressing for a decision when he found his advice countered by the military representative. The position created by Dr. Bruening’s fall is serious, because so much depends on the development of friendly relations between Germany and France.