The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-16
Is the Reich Ready to Assume World
 Power Status?
By NEA Service

| F1Ve years a1Cer the Qdy III l935 when mustached Adolf Hitler strode from the Brown House in Munich to promise the German people 8 return to world power, his iron heeled troops tread the soil of Aus tria, now made part of Germany.
 In bold defiance of Great Brit ain and France, der Fuehrer now seems near actual fulfillment of his promise to elevate Germany to its pre-war prestige and the military domination of central Europe.
 But now, what of the future? Is Nazi Germany prepared to as- sume its full responsibilities as d world power? Has Herr Hitler made good on his other promises? What has been the cost? The answers are to be found in the record of the dic- tator's amazing five years rule.
 Standing that historic day in Munich, Hitler pledged himself to throw off the humiliating shackles of the Versailles treaty and to re- store bread and jobs to the German people. Now look at the record.
 Strapped Versailles Treaty
 In startling succession he ordered reconscription of the German army; triumphantly regained the Reich Saar area; reoccupied by demili- tarized Rhineland; perfected the Rome Berlin axis; flung to the world his demand for the return of German colonies lost in the World War, and now has annexed little Austria.
 Key Of this reSurgence, Of course, is the German rearmament program first violation of the 1919 treaty. The man in uniform now typifies the Reich. Not yet complete. the German military machine already promises to surpass that of any other nation. At least 100000 men could be put in the field in 48 hours, best observers agree, with millions more soon after. It is be- lieved Germany has 5000 airplanes and there are 2,500 fast tanks.
 At the same time her navy ap- breaches by British consent 35 per cent the total strength of the great English fleet. She has constructed 2000 kilometerS of the finest mili- tary roads in the world and is still building them.
 To achieve these ends the na- tional debt has been boosted to a level previously surpassed only in wartime. The government does not publish it's budget figures but the total public debt is estimated to be 40,000,000 000 marks, which is about $16,00O, O,0O0,000, or approxi- mately half the size of the U. s. na- tional debt. It is still to be shown whether the country can bear it. Certainly Germany cannot continue indefinitely to keep the nation alive by means of borrowing money.
 Cuts Unemployment
 Inseparably linked with Hitler's first step - rearmament - was his second - jobs and bread. When the Fuehrer took office in 1883 there were 6,000,00O unemployed. Today there are roughly 5OO,0OO, mostly unemployable because of physical defects. At first, thousands were simply placed as land-helpers or put in factories regardless of need. En- ployers were forced to pay them wages.
 Since then, says recent survey of the Foreign Policy Association, the decrease in unemployment has been due to real increase in pro- duction.
 The problem of -sufficiency, however, perpetually aggravates the German economic picture. There is serious doubt whether Ger many can ever become self-sufficient within her present boundaries, hence her eXpansionist program.
 Production has been speeded up in iron ore; large amounts of money have been spent in ex- ploration of new oil land, but in cotton, rubber and other materials Germany is woefully short. She produces only 10 per cent of her wool, no cotton, only 30 per cent of her iron, the same of oil, no rubber and roughly 45 per cent of necessary food fats. She is self sufficient in coal, grains, and milk. Some of the deficiencies may, per- haps, be rectified in part by the Austrian annexation.
 Imposed Rigid Program
 To meet these inadequacies, Ger many has imposed a virtual econo- mic Straitjacket. The government has established rigid control over imports, limiting the purchase of food StuffS and finished goods so as to be able to increase the purchase of raw materials and semi-finished goods. Experimentation has been carried on to discover 'ersatz" or substitute material.
 Coincidentally, every class has been asked to accept sacrifices, The government is extending it's control over private industry and