BEER HALL AT MUNICH

Southland Times, Issue 23998, 13 December 1939, Page 8

BEER HALL AT MUNICH

Visit By Browns Residents GERMANS DID NOT EXPECT WAR That Herr Hitler would go to the last ditch but would not jump it, was the opinion expressed by a manager of a hotel in Ulm, Germany, to Mr J. N. West, of Browns, who has just recently returned with Mrs West after a nine months’ tour of the British Isles, the Continent, Canada and the United States. Mr and Mrs West spent a few days in Germany during their tour on the Continent which also .embraced France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.

In an interview with The Southland Times Mr West said that when they left for the continent at the beginning of June there was talk of war in England and he had discussed the possibility during the course of a conversation with a hotel manager in Ulm who spoke excellent English. The hotel manager said to forget about it as there would be no war. Herr Hitler knew only too well the results of the last war. He would go to the last ditch but would not jump it, he said. Mr West said he had made frequent inquiries about the possibility of war and everywhere the answer was that there would be no war.

At the time of their visit Mr. West said that he noticed very little military activity in Germany compared with Italy and Switzerland. In Switzerland especially it was very noticeable and it became quite a common sight to suddenly come upon regiments of soldiers while going through the Alps. Everywhere they went in Germany they were treated with the utmost cordiality and hospitality, said Mr West. People could not do enough for them and always inquired what places they had visited and what they thought of them. On the whole, everyone was well dressed and appeared to be happy and contented. The hotels were the last word in luxury and the meals were excellent. There did not appear to be a shortage of anything wherever they went and the country appeared to be very prosperous.

MUNICH BEER HALL While in Munich, Mr and Mrs West visited the famous beer hall called Brauhau (or Brown House) which was the Nazi Party’s headquarters before it came into power and where, on November 8, an attempt was made on Herr Hitler’s life. Only beer is served, said Mr West, and only quart measures can be bought. The building is three stories high and three classes of people are catered for. On the ground floor empty beer barrels turned on end are used for tables and people stand round them and drink from stone jugs. On the second floor people sat at tables and drank from white porcelain jugs. The top floor was more elaborate and after the style of a lounge. Here people drank their quarts from crystal jugs and a concert was being staged all the time. The floor space of the three departments was tremendous, said Mr West, and the place was crowded with men and women. The beer was served by waitresses who carried four quart jugs in each hand at a time. The hall is owned by a brewery and is the largest beer hall in the world. Extensive cultivation was being carried out in Germany, said Mr Westand one thing that struck them on entering the country was that all crops were planted in narrow strips about half a chain wide and stretching as far as the eye could see. There were no fences. They were astounded at the primitive method of cutting crops with a sickle. In some places, however, crops were being cut with .mowers which, in most cases, were pulled by an ox and a mule. They seldom saw two oxen or two mules pulling a mower; it was usually one of each. The absence of horses was very noticeable. Most of the work in the fields was being carred out by women and the only men they did see in the fields were aged. The roads in the country district were narrow but in good order and fruit trees extended along the sides for miles. Throughout their tour in Germany, said Mr West, they were given the impression that Herr Hitler had done a lot for the people and was held in very high regard. WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION Mr and Mrs West were in London for a fortnight after the outbreak of war and occupied a flat in Sutherland avenue, Maida Vale. Both were high in their praise for the wonderful organization of the Government’s defence measures and the evacuation of the children. They were quite satisfied that London was well prepared for anything which might happen and while there they felt comparatively' safe. The black-outs were deadly. If they wished to leave their flat to go down to the corner’ of the street for a newspaper they counted their steps each way. “We got it down to a fine art,” said Mr West, “but if we had not adopted this method we would never have found our flat it was so black.” The balloon barrage was beautiful on a sunny day. All the balloons were painted aluminium. They did not appear to be large when suspended in the ah- but on the ground they were huge objects. During their tour in Ireland they.

paid a visit to Valley Castle, Antrim, where they were the guests of relations of the Rev. Andrew McFarland, late of Riverton. Here a splendid paddock of white clover had been pointed out to Mr West. It was New Zealand clover and the seed had been bought for 25/- per lb. It had been sown several years ago and was a wonderful success.

Mr West said .that one thing in particular he had noticed during their trip by car in the British Isles was that New Zealand produce was very well advertised everywhere. The only place they could not obtain New Zealand butter was at Ayr and they were greatly amused when the grocer explained that he did not stock either Australian or New Zealand butter because his customers had told him it was too highly coloured. In London Mr West had asked a storekeeper which produce sold best and he had said Australia for butter, New Zealand for cheese. In some butcher shops, said Mi' West, only New Zealand mutton could be obtained and such advertisements as “Remember, Canterbury mutton is New Zealand mutton, the best in the world!” were a common sight, i