Evening star., 1932-09-11
Britain Fails to Observe
Signs of Better Times
BY A. G. GARDINER

AONDONp september f1O-"DeeD
answers to deep" and Throgmorton
street re-echoes to the cheerful music
OF wall street, but political circles have
not yet shared In the confidence of the
financial world that the turn In the
tide has come.
Unemployment figures published this
week show an ominous increase and Il
Is anticipated that the 5000, 900 mark.
hitherto unreached, will be passed dur
ing the coming Winter. Staple indus
tr1es DO not show any sign Of recovery
and the cotton trade Of Lancashire. the
chlef export industry of the country.
which has slumped by two-thirds IN the
last two years, Is now plunged into the
most formidable industrial conflict In its
history on the question Of reduction of
wages and adoption Of more looms Der
weaver. Three hundred thousand oper-
atives are on strike and the whole in
dustry is shut down.
Apart from the gloom of the indus
trial outlook, the political situation on
the continent Is not calculated to sup
port the view that better times have
come. Arthur Henderson, president of
the Disarmament Conference, speaking
at the trades union congress in New
castle on Thursday, rebuked those who
called the conference a failure but ad-
mitted that so far It is not yet O sue
cess. He appealed to the sanity Of
Europe to save 1t from shipwreck.
The urgency Of the appeal was en-
phasized by the ominous DEVELOPMENT
Of events in Germany, whose demand
for equality Of armaments now is en-
forced by such formidable demonstra.
tions OF potential militarism as the Inn
pressive march Of the Stahlenhelm
(Cfaal HaIFnafsl NJ r.
the phrase Of the Spectator, Germany
today thunders with the tread of tramp
ing armies, and though In some mea-
sure they are hostile to each other, all
are inspired by the motive of the re-
assertion Of the right of Germany to
equality Of ornaments, II not with con-
sent OF Europe, then without 1t.
For IA years sane internationalists
everywhere have been warning Europe
that Germany would rise II the rest of
the countries failed to disarm, and the
warning has been enforced by appeals
Of moderate German craftsmanship to
the reason and the common sense Of
the world.
But the warnings and appeals alike
are ignored, and now the temper Of
Germany manifestly has changed. Eu-
rope has to reckon, not with the &C.
commodating spirit of Stresemann and
Bruening, but with the truculent ma
tionalism Of Maj. Gen. Won Schleicher.
That fact is more significant because,
despite the deep and bitter differences
OF political factions, Won Schleichers
attitude represents the mass movement
OF German opinion. Europe's delay In
disarming has shifted the center of
gravity in Germany to the right. Even
monarchist sentiment has revived and
become a factor in the situation. 1t
would be even more formidable but for
the universal discredit that envelops
the former Kaiser, who still is the best
hated man in Prussia. But the leaders
OF the counter revolution are Royalists
at heart, and none is received with
greater honor at the celebrations Of the
republic than the Hohenzollern princes,
who are the declared enemies of the
republic. As evidence of this tendency
1t Is significant that Adolf Hitler In
tends to be present at the wedding OF
the Princess Sybilla of Coburg to the
Swedish hereditary Prince Gustave at
Coburg on September 20, which is ex-
pected to provide great Royalist dis
play as a step toward restoration Of the
monarchy.
Whether these evidences of the drift
OF Germany to reactionary nationalism
will stimulate the disarmament con-
ference or sA4owreck 1t is the most fate
full question OF the immediate future.
The Nationalist press in Paris :ees only
in the change Of attitude in Germany
additional reason for dropping all talk
Of disarmament This way lies utter
shipwreck, and responsible opinion here
Is insistent that the only wise reply to
Germany's claim to rearn is for the
rest Of Europe to disarm. The British
Is severely criticized in the
responsible press for its timid policy in
the early stages Of the Disarmament
Conference, and q growing volume Of
demand Is heard that Britain should
take O stand on the Hoover formula
when the conference Is resumed ut
ecopyright, iss7.)