Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Over 50 Years.] TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1930. GERMANY’S AIMS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 April 1930, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Over 50 Years.] TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 1930. GERMANY’S AIMS.

Germany’s propaganda, aimed at aimimsning her war obligation and the restoration of her colonies in the Pacific, began before the ink was dry on the Versailles Treaty, and has continued ceaselessly. It is skilfully conducted, but when now and then it shows out we are apt to display that complacency so characteristic of the race, and to regard it as a mere beating of the air that, with the war settlements effected, can have no result. But be not too sure about this. We pride ourselves upon our sporting spirit; like to shake hands and let bygones be bygones, which is a very commendable attitude when it applies to both sides; but when it is the victor only who thus is “sporty,” while the loser, taking full advantage of this complacency, sets out in divers —and devious —ways to recover his losses, then we must take care that he does not “get away with it” by Working up and playing upon our sympathy. This particularly is applicable to German post-war propaganda. The German policy has always been one of win, tie or wrangle, and since the war the only channel in her induced condition open to Germany to Win back what has been lost has been by propaganda. There is the straight-out kind of propaganda, as witness the Homeric campaign pursued, in America, both by Germany and the Allies during the war. In that case it was an or>en contest, both sides pulling their full weight. The German

propaganda is different. During recent years it largely has been directed towards the relations of the European Powers and America. It was much in evidence in the effort a few years ago to break up the entente between Britain and Prance. The phase of the propaganda that most concerns us in New Zealand is that for the return of the Pacific colonies. It has been carried on almost without a pause since the signing of the Versailles Treaty. No sooner was the treaty ratified than an intensive campaign began from Berlin, attacking each and every Mandatory Power for its administration of the newly-acquired colonies. Australia, for example, had hardly entered upon the task of taking over the expropriated properties in New Guinea, and replacing the German staffs with Australians, when all kinds of accusations were circulated. We were told that the plantations under Australian management were going to rack and ruin; that the unfortunate natives were being scandalously ill-treat-ed, and yearning to get back to the beneficent rule of their previous German masters. It was, by the way, interesting to note that the launching of the charges was coincident with the arrival en route to the Fatherland of the first batch of repatriated Germans. It was assumed that all these charges had burst out spontaneously, and were based upon actual happenings; but an interesting light soon was thrown on the thoroughness of German propaganda by a book issued in Berlin, 4 *l he German Colonies under the Mandate,” by Dr. Heinrich Schnee, former Governor of German East Africa, with translations into the Allied languages. In this Dr. Schnee hurls abuse at the Mandatory Powers for the “stagnation and ruin” of the colonies, and the “neglect and injury of the natives,” charging all with the same offences.