OPINION OF HITLER

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1934, Page 5

OPINION OF HITLER

NEW ZEALAND CLERGYMAN. PT .EASED WITH GERMANY. “My impressions of the country and the people were of the highest, and every other member of our big party felt the same,” said the Rev. D. J. A. Shaw, of Hastings, when on his return to New Zealand he spoke of an organised tour of Germany in which he participated recently. Mr. Shaw, who arrived at Wellington by the Maunganui from San Francisco, was the official New Zealand delegate of the Presbyterian Church to the Assembly of the. Church of Scotland at Edinburgh held in May and June last.

Mr. Shaw said his tour through Germany was made with 400 other British people, and they were given a most favourable reception wherever they went. In Berlin they were given a mayoral reception. They were invited to visit other municipaHties, and generally the people went out of their way to show them acts of kiifdness. They were left at liberty to go where they pleased, and everywhere were given every facility and invited to see things for themselves. There seemed to be the warmest feeling toward the British people.

He was convinced that the true state of affairs under the Hitler regime had not been revealed in other countries, Mr. Shaw continued; he considered that this had been contributed to by the newspapers in the United Kingdom, and possibly elsewhere. There had been no outward evidence of poverty in any of the cities he visited. No beggars were allowed. Generally, he thought, the feeling of the people was of hope and confidence in Hitler.

“The nation is much more united and free from dangerous possibilities than is generally understood,” Mr. Shaw said. “I do not believe Germany is contemplating war. I have read some of Hitler’s speeches in full and have been most favourably impressed. His attitude toward home life and the betterment of working and social conditions is most commendable. I believe he is absolutely sincere. I talked to a number of intelligent Germans, and always found the greatest appreciation of what he has done. He has achieved so much in such a short time that they feel hopeful he will go on and achieve still greater things.” Berlin impressed Mr. Shaw as the cleanest city he had ever seen, he said. Its system of traffic signals was particularly effective; each unit consisted of a clock-face divided into two parts, one red and the other green, around which a hand travelled to indicate to the motorist how long he had to wait before he could proceed. It was intended to spend £60,000 on a great highways improvement scheme which had been put in hand with the secondary object of relieving unemployment.