The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-03
World Front
BY HARRY CANNES

lDELENTLESSLY, the Hitler
~ machine is driving to war.
All of German economy has
been transferred into war
economy. The whole political
program of the fascists, in
ternally and externally, is
toward war as the only solution"
of the ever-mounting catastrophe
crisis.
The recent reports of the French
press of the rapid arming Of Ger
man fascism is only part Of the
story. The Hitler war-plans for
seizure of the Saar, though the
most immediate plans, is only a
fragment of the war plans. Whether
it's the assassination Of King Alex
ander. or the Japanese German
anti-Soviet treaty, the major news
from Germany is the ominous news
of rapidly approaching war.
! We have just received some in
formation on the extent of the war
preparations. An examination Of
German economy at the present
time shows that all branches Of
industry and commerce are now
functioning as if fascist Germany
were already at war. All of the
basic industries are being speeded
up for the production Of war ma
terial, while exports are declining
precipitously. Consumption is drop
ping while production goes up.
Where does the produced material
go? One of the answers to this secret
is given by the 5o0,00o,000 marks
spent for underground work"
THIS underground work consists in
building subteranean air ports,
Notifications, gas defense, dugouts,
and cement trenches. These works
are going on at feverish speed in East
Prussia, Silesia, Saxony and on the
northern and western frontiers Of
Germany.
In order to supply fuel for the
gigantic secret air forces being built
up in Germany the Hitler govern
ment has allotted 100,000,000 marks
for huge plant for liquefying
brown coal. Immense sums have
been spent experimenting on boring
for oil, which up to now has not
produced any results.
THE iron, steel and rolling mill in
dustry has increased over so per
cent in Hitler's reign, while the ex-
port of these products has dropped
tremendously. The rush is accounted
for, almost exclusively, by the
production of airplanes, gunbarrels.
machine-guns, tanks and other war
instruments.
While the Hitler regime is con-
fronted with financial crisis, cut
ting off the major import of COM
modities, especially food and cloth
ing, the raw materials needed for
war are imported in greater guam
titles than ever. The Hitler gov
eminent can find plenty of money
to pay for the increased import of
cotton, wool, leather, copper, and
other minerals.
The cotton imports, for example,
which, in the first half of 1894
amounted to 2,415,000 double cent
ners, compared to 2,307,000 double
centnerS in the pre-crisis year Of
1928, do not go into the production
of goods for the market. With this
huge increase in raw cotton import
there has been decline of 30 per
cent in textile production. The Hit
Ter government is using it for gun
cotton and storing it for army uni
forms and for other war purposes.
THE production of aluminium has
tripled, that of zinc doubled, Of
lead has increased by 20 per cent?
At the same time, Hitler is mo-
bilizing his armies for war The
French papers already report that
the German army is now capable
Immediately of mobilizing 100000
trained men for war service.
Such preparations, in the present
world situation, cannot go on for
long without the world being ex-
ploded into new imperialist war.
Even the probable date for such a
war Is drawing nearer-January 10,
when the Saar plebiscite is supposed
to take place. Whether it breaks
out here, or in the Baltic, or on
the Polish border, or on the French
border, cannot be foretold; but that
it will break out, and soon, unless
fascism is destroyed, is beyond ques-
ton.
THE Doumergue government Of
France, aping the British impe-
rialists, has called an imperial con-
ference. 1t is trying to achieve,
with its colonies, what the British
achieved at the Ottawa conference.
Representative of Morocco, Algeria,
Tunis, and Indo-C China will come
to Paris, and there discuss empire"
trade with France; monetary ques-
tons, tariffs, etc.
At the same time, the Doumergue
government is utilizing the confer
ence to awaken chauvinist inter-
est in the colonies so that more
money can be spent for colonial
troops, warships, and colonial adj
ministration.
IN OSLO, Norway, at a general
meeting Of the metal workers
union, the largest trade union in
the country, with 6,400 members,
resolution was passed recently di-
rected to the German government
demanding the release of Ernst