The Washington times., 1922-09-09
HINES GLOOMY:
ABOUT EUROPE
TRIP
Mutual Concessions to Be
Forced by Mutual Pow
erty, He Predicts.
BY JOHN G. KLEIN,
Cosmopolitan News Service Staff
Correspondent,

Cosmopolitan News Service Staff
Correspondent.
Copyright. 1922. by Cosmopolitan News
Service.)
NEW YORK, Sept. 9.-"It seems
to me that disillusionment, hatred
and bitterness are even more pro-
nounced at the present time in Eu-
rope than was the case either last
year or the year before. Such con-
ditions make 1t supremely difficult
as a practical matter of local politi
cal conditions for the government
of any country to make, in favor of a
general solution, concessions from
what appear to be its own interests"
said Walker d. Hines. in an inter-
view today.
Mr.. Hines was director general Of
railroads in the United States from
1919 to 1920 and has just returned
from Europe, having spent the sum-
mer of 1922 there, as well as q year
and a half ending with the summer
of 1921 in connection with his work
as American arbitrator under the
peace treaties for the purpose Of de-
Gliding how much of the shipping Of
Germany and other former enemy
countries on the Rhine, Elbe. Oder
and Danube rivers should be deliv-
cred to the interested allied coun-
tries.
His viewpoint of the economic sit
uation in Germany, Austria and, to a
lesser extent, in France, Is at once
alarming and pessimistic.
Conditions Worse.
"The impression bring back from
Europe is that conditions at the
.
quieting and discouraging than they
were either in 1921 or in 1920" he
continued ssa ~ s=G-rs
"The physical devastations caused
by the war, terrible as they were,
do not, in my opinion. compare.
in their contribution to human dis
comfort and misery. with that more
Intangible devastation which has
been involved in the dislocation Of
the economic and financial relation
ships between the civilized ctun-
tries OF the world.
Apparently, the extent of these
economic and financial disturb
|ances is becoming more and more
clear, and the divergent interests
Of the various countries more and
more emphatic.
"Of course, such an unparalleled
catastrophe as the war has pro-
duced can only be remedied by rea-
sonable mutual concessions Cn the
part of the various countries whose
divergent interests have become so
apparent. The ability to make
such mutual concessions - greatly
hampered by the political senti-
ment and the general state Of mind
in the various countries"
What conclusion do you form
from this state of affairs?" asked.
viii Force Concessions.
"That the situation at present is
more discouraging than It ever has
! been BEFORE" Mr.. Hines replied. 81
feef that the outcome must be that
conditions will get to the point
that they will be so alarming as
to force the mutual concessions
which apparently must be made
in order to extricate the world
from the economic, financial; and
even moral collapse which has fol-
lowed the war. It IL a serious
question whether It may not be
necessary for conditions to become
even worse than they are at pres
ent before the situation can begin
to clear UP in any hopeful way"
with things so bad over there,
what solution Of the problem do
you suggest?" inquired. SHOULD
the United States seek to interest
itself in any way, with the object
Of aiding in cleaning up this
mess?"
In reply, he slowly shook his
head, and said:
Il am not undertaking to do any
thing more than to state my per-
sonal estimate of the general facts
of the situation. I certainly have
no panacea to propose for the un-
paralleled difficulties which face the
world, and which, Of course, have
an important bearing upon the inter
ests Of our own country. Prepara-
tory, however, to the adoption of
any policy, there ought to be an
understanding of the facts.
1T seems TO me our people would
seriously delude themselves and OBJ
struct their appreciation of the sit
uation IL they assume that the diff
ficulties are gradually correcting
themselves, whereas, as I see 1t, they
are continuing to become more acute
and disqpietins."