AFFAIRS IN GERMANY.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19461, 28 December 1934, Page 5

AFFAIRS IN GERMANY.

ARMAMENT ISSUE.

THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG. A BROADCAST MESSAGE. United Press Assn.—Elcc. Tel. Copyrigm ■LONDON, Dec. 27The Berlin correspondent of the Daily Mail states that while Herr Hitler was having supper on Christmas Eve with 1000 old comrades at Munich h'is deputy, Herr lles3, broadcast a Christmas message to Germans abroad. After declaring that many persons would like to see Germany deliver up her last machine-gun Herr Hess quoted the German fable of the fox and the hedgehog. ''Modern foxes," added the speaker, "take orders from ‘His Genevan Majesty,’ but apparently they do not intend to allow their .teeth to be drawn. Therefore they cahnot qtiibble if the German hedgehog has now grown wise and prefers to retain his defensive spikes.” A Stern Test. The Berlin correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says that the year 1935 will provide a stern lest of the dictatorial control of German trade and industry by Dr. Schacht, Minister of Economics. The internal trade outlook is comparatively bright and the recent improvement- in the retail trade probably will continue. Germany’s vital New Year problem is how to obtain raw materials. Much depends upon- whether experiments with home-made substitutes for products succeed. If Germany can devise means of financing additional imported raw materials the trade outlook will not be unpromising but if she fails there will he great hardships in the winter -of 1935Scene in a Theatre. “Germans leave the theatre! It is disgraceful that a Jew .should flirt with a German girl,” cried Nazis in stopping the production at a Munich theatre of a film, “The Girl From Vienna,” in which appeared a Yorkshire actor, Arthur RL'coe, whom the Nazis mistook for a Jew, Most of the audience wanted to stay, but a group o.f organised Nazis howled and hissed so loudly that the screening of the film was stopped. PURGING THE RANKS. MORE EXECUTIONS, united Press Assn.—Elec. Toi. copyright. PRAGUE, Deo. 27. The Prague newspapers report a new “purge” in Germany;. They state that 230 leaders of the Storm Troops and Black Guards and a number of high Nazi officials were arrested and executed in the first fortnight of December. Another rumour estimates the arrests in Germany in the past month at bfelween 1000 and 4000. The "purge” is reported to have begun with the arrest of. Dr. Brueckner, formerly Governor of Silesia, and 50 of his supporters “for moral offences."

LATER. OFFICIAL DENIAL. NO EXECUTIONS. EXAGGERATED LIST OF ARRESTS. United press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyrighv (Received Deo. 28, 12.45 p.m.) BERLIN, Deo. 27. The Government spokesman offlolaily denies the foreign reports of wholesale arrests and executions in Germany. There have been no executions and the reports of thousands of arrest* had been exaggerated from the fact that 300 arrests were made early in December, during the campaign against sexual perversion. Of those arrested 200 had been released.