GERMAN AMBITIONS.

Wairarapa Age, 20 May 1936, Page 4

GERMAN AMBITIONS.

MOVE TO REGAIN FORMER POSSESSIONS. POSITION IN EUROPE STILL CRITICAL. VIEWS OF SIB HERBERT HART. The opinion. that Germany uniter Hitler was ten times more dangerous than Italy -under Mussolini was expressed by Sir Herbert Hart in the course of some interesting references to world affairs at the Wairarapa returned soldiers’ farewell gathering Ihst night. Sir Herbert was definitely of the opinion that, as soon as the time was opportune, Germany would take steps to recover the possessions she lost after the Great War.

“It does seem extraordinary,” he observed, “after what wo have been through in the past to see such wholesale preparations for war in Europe: I have hopes -that the League of Nations will become a body that will be able to prevent strife between nations. Obviously, however, that tiine has not yet come.” Mussolini', he added, had' got his hands on Abyssinia by force and intended to hold' it. Like all dictators he had reached power by force and ruled by force. He would go from one conquest to another until he came to his end. Germany, under Hitler, was ten times more dangerous than Italy under Mussolini, declared Sir Herbert, when recalling events in the early part of the 20th century. To anyone taking more than a passing interest in world affairs, if was obvious in 1909 that Germany was going to start a war as soon as the time was opportune. Germany’s determination for world domination made a war inevitable. Action taken by the British nation at that time had postponed the war for five years, Sir Herbert continued. Germany’s: ambitions were the- sole cause of the outbreak in 1914!, but at. the present time there were at least a dozen, causes likely to, start a war. Germany was not now seeking world domination. Her aim was t® regain, her former position among the foremost nations of the world' ana she was taking well-ordered steps to attain her objective. She had. got rid of the armaments restrictions and her troops had occupied the Rhineland. When the time was opportune she would move into the Polish corridor and then to the south-east. That was a definite certainty and only a miracle eould stop it, unless perhaps Hiller died an early death. ’’ As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, and at the earliest possible moment,” observed Sir Herbert, “Germany is going to try and regain her former territory.” He thought Germany might have made some move in that direction while the Abyssinian war was on, but apparently the time was not opportune, either from a financial or a military point of view. While there was no need to feel pessimistic about what might happen, Sir Herbert observed, he felt that we should face the possibility of a disturbance in Europe. Forewarned was forearmed. Even if we were only mentally forwarned it was something. It seemed extraordinary that it should be so, but he felt that should trouble arise the next generation would face any trouble confronting Britain as had been done in the past. Justifying the part Great Britain played in the War, Sir Herbert said: ’Now when it is all over we know it was right and necessary. If ye had not fought all our creeds and institutions, everything we consider worth while, would have gone by the Piratical action such as that taken in Abyssinia and Manchukuo has to be opposed. Bad though wars may be and little as we like them, dangers ptause ” be met as they arise -” Op-