THE Wairarapa Age WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1936. A GREATER CRISIS.

Wairarapa Age, 8 July 1936, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1936. A GREATER CRISIS.

Emerging, badly shaken, from one crisis, the League of Nations is now threatened and may soon be faced by another in some respects immensely more serious. Following closely on the ill-conditioned and truculent outburst by Herr Greiser, Nazi President of the Danzig Senate, in the League Assembly, it is reported to-day from Paris that: “Britain has disquieting information regarding the intentions of the Reich.” The implication conveyed is that Germany meditates some such stroke against Danzig and the Polish Corridor as she executed not long ago in the Rhineland. If this be true, the worst effects of the ItaloAbyssinian dispute in unsettling the foundations of peace and order in Europe are likely soon to be surpassed. From Britain’s standpoint it may prove to be the worst aspect of a menacing situation that by any development of such tactics as Herr Greiser adopted at Geneva, Germany is likely to put herself out of court, to the extent at least of making it impossible for Britain to support what might otherwise have been regarded as a reasonable claim to territorial and other adjustments in the Danzig area. While Poland is insisting upon full respect for her rights in Danzig, the present standing of the free city and that of the Corridor rather obviously might be reviewed with advantage to all concerned if that could be done in a calm and friendly atmosphere. In their determination to give Poland “access to the sea” the makers of the Treaty of Versailles created one of the worst of the “sore spots’’ now existing in Europe as a result of their activities. Before the Great War, the German city of Danzig was mainly an outlet for Polish trade. Though ninetysix per cent, of its inhabitants were Germans, Danzig was separated from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and made a 11 free city.” At the same time, the treaty annexed to Poland a broad strip of German territory along and including the lower reach of the River Vistula. This is the actual Corridor. On the coast of the Corridor territory there was no port to compare with Danzig, but the Foies have created one in Gydnia, which has been developed as a rival to Danzig largely by an expenditure of French, capital. The whole arrangement is violent and unnatural and Germany has legitimate reason to be dissatisfied with it. If affairs in Europe were taking a quiet course, it should be possible to bring up the whole question of Danzig and the Corridor for peaceful revision. The much less pleasant possibility now appears, however, that if Germany means to model her action on the attitude of bullying vulgarity taken up by Herr Greiser at Geneva, contention over Danzig and the Corridor may plunge Europe into war. It may be taken for granted that France would stand with Poland in resisting any use of force by Germany in the area of the Corridor. It is by no means certain that Britain could escape being involved in a European conflict precipitated in this way and it is still less certain that Russia would care to escape being involved. An understanding between France and Germany plainly has become essential if any approach is to be made to secure peace in Europe. If instead France and Germany plunge into war over the Polish Corridor, the only prospect opened will be one of disaster.