SOLUTION OF DIFFICULTY

Taranaki Daily News, 13 January 1932, Page 7

SOLUTION OF DIFFICULTY

UNITED STATES HOLDS KEY HER ATTITUDE TO FRANCE ONLY ONE STRONG ENOUGH GERMAN CONSUL’S OPINION By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the opinion of Mr. W. Penseler, German Consul in New Zealand, who returned to-day from a trip to his homeland and to Austria and Switzerland, the solution of the European difficulties and troubles lies in the attitude of the United States of America to France. Unless America, which was the only one big enough and powerful enough financially to do it, stood up to France and opposed its present policy of benefiting itself at the expense of every other nation endless trouble would ensue, he said.

“There is one nation in Europe—it shall be nameless—which by tenacity of purpose and astute diplomatic cleverness has been very successful for itself at the expense of everyone else,” Mr. -Penseler said. “It is the one father of all the obstacles, and the question to be decided is how long will it be allowed to impose its will on the world.” Mr. Penseler thought the answer to this question would be supplied at the forthcoming disarmament and other conferences to be held in Europe. It was very apparent, though, that Europe’s only help lay in the United States. Whatever happened, Mr. Penseler thought Germany would pull through from its present very great troubles. It was suffering such great hardship that many people were becoming desperate, but the majority were suffering in silence. To his mind, however, the people were finding comfort in their realisation of the true values of life. The Germans’ exercise of Spartan economy had -brought about—it was hard to express it exactly—a kind of spiritual uplift which gave them great comfort in spite of their manifold troubles -and difficulties. This was so definitely in evidence and so general among the people that there was a good deal upon which to base the belief that in the course of time Germany would evolve new ways of economics, politics and even religion. In Mr. Penseler’s opinion it was most likely that Germany would give a new lead to the world.

Speaking of Germany’s attitude toward France Mr. Penseler said that his country’s desire was to bring about a state where the two peoples could mutually respect each other and leave each other alone. It was unlikely, he thought, that the two peoples would ever fraternise to any extent; their ideas and general outlook were so definitely opposed.