Western Star WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1933. GERMANY'S TREATMENT OF JEWS.

Western Star, 9 June 1933, Page 2

Western Star WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 1933. GERMANY'S TREATMENT OF JEWS.

The rise of Hitler in Germany has been a bad thing-for the Jews. His followers, known as the Nazis, have been charged with perpetrating all sorts of indignities, and lately the cablegrams have contained many details of alleged outrages and atrocities. The object of this attack upon the Jewish people is to drive them out of Germany) wherje the Nazis-claim they are not wanted. There. are many Jewish people who bear the name Hitler, and they have taken steps to discard it in favour, of one which will, not remind them of. the persecution to which they were subjected under the Nazi, regime. Readers may wonder why the new Germany is so antagonistic to the Jewish race. An explanation has been afforded by Herr A. J. Gerhold. a representative of a German .metal.fur-, nishing firm at present: in i New Zea--land, in an interview, [with a reporter of. the Otago Daily Times. He:<r Gerhold said that it was not to be denied that a campaign had been carried on against certain Jewish elements by the Nazi movement, but the justification that could be claimed fo r it was not clearly explained to the outside world. Most of the stories were exaggerated and many were only half truths, which were, after all, worse than direct lies. When people in New Zealand I'ead about Jews being dragged back to Germany against their will or driven out of the country by force they should think for a moment whether there were not some things for which a British community might not feel inclined to drive one man out or hail another back Jews in Germany had made immense fortunes out of the inflation of the German currency, and after fattening .on the nation's misfortunes had left the country after evading all taxation as well as the payment of many of their debts. In other cases Jews who had crawled i n at the back-door and made capital out of Germany's troubles were still there trying to continue the work and at the-same time avoid taking their fair share of the national burdens. These people and others like them had in curred the wrath of the Nazis, and, he mi.wht point out, of the people generally, and their fate had been vei-v much what it would have been in any other country of the world. That the money question has much to do with the treatment accorded the Jews would appear to be. boras out by a <

Berlin cable received this week, in which it was stated that Nazis at Mors seized a merchant, accused him of charging 80 per cent, interest, and led him through the streets bearing a placard on which was written: "I am a usurer j I am a. bloodsucker." The party was. escorted by Storm Troops and large crowds. Be that as it may, all the Jewish people cannot be wealthy or usurers, and if the Nazis' animosity is displayed to all because of the delinquencies, of the few the action is distinctly out of harmony with the rules of fairplay and justice not to mention the higher claims of humanity. As to this, however, Herr Gerhald said the German papers which he received proved that much of the cable news appearing in New Zealand concerning the alleged outrages was nonsense of such a patent kind as to suggest that its source in Great Britain was largely Jewish.