Evening star., 1939-02-01
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN,
Star STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

gary.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN,
Star Staff Correspondent.
BUDAPEST. Hungary
is country of contradictions, it is
kingdom without a king-and with
little likelihood of ever having one
dictatorship with a rigidly con-
stitutional dictator, an independent
country without freedom of action
on the part of its government. 1t is
an ally of Germany and yet from
the regent down to the last taxi
driver or cafe waiter it hates the
Reich and it's leader with a poison
Gus hatred.
1t has just enacted drastic racial
northumberland against the
Jews-when everybody admits that
the country will go into bankruptcy
when the Jews are taken out of its
economic life. 1t is most eager to
fight, although realizing it has
neither the power nor the means to
do SO.
For centuries this country has
been under the tutelage of another
country. After the Turks it entered
kind of forced business associa-
ton with the Austrian empire, es-
tablishing what was known in Eu-
rope as the dual monarchy in which
the Hungarians, held the short end
of the stick. 1t lost the war on the
side of the Austrians and the Ger
mans and had to pay severe terri
torial penalty. Then for the first
time it regained its real freedom
1t has supported Germany in all its
actions since 1919 and celebrated
the end of the Versailles treaty with
tolling of bells and vociferous mani
festations in the streets. When the
question of Czecho-S -Slovakia came
up 1t mobilized its army to support
Germany's diplomatic action; it got
few crumbs after the Munich feast
and when it accepted those crumbs
it lost its independence. Today Ber-
lin dictates to Budapest in the same
manner it dictates to Prague and
more than it does to Belgrade or
Bucharest. Hungary's aspirations
OF having common border with the
Poles have been foiled by Hitler in
; a brutal manner, despite II Duce's
moral support. The Budapest gov
ernment must now face an angered
Fuehrer. Any false move might
have immediate fatal consequences.
Realize Their Weaknesses.
The Hungarians are powerless
and they know it. They are stified.
Without an outlet to the sea they
have to send all their exports
whatever is left after Germany and
Italy have helped themselves CO.
piously-through the Reich to the
outside world. Their trade with
Great Britain, France and the
Scandinavian countries must go via
Germany.
The Berlin government has been
decent about freight rates. 1t
has reduced them SO as to make
exports profitable. It cost about
so per cent less to send goods from
Budapest to London via Hamburg
than by way of Yugoslavia and
Italy. But the Hungarians have
quickly discovered the joker. When
ever they are not quick enough to
obey Berlin's orders, the long car
loads of perishable goods are side
tracked and forgotten in some rail-
way station in Germany until their
exports have rotted.
1t happened toward the end of
December. The Imredy government
was not sufficiently responsive to
the German demands for anti
Jewish legislation. Communications
with Germany became difficult and
many carloads of turkeys, eggs,
chickens, vegetables and fruit which
the Hungarians had consigned to
countries paying in foreign currency
and in cash were forgotten for two
weeks somewhere" in Germany
until more than go per cent of the
exports had to be thrown away.
Germany Dictates Prices.
Like the rest of the Central
European countries, Hungary has
been compelled to accept Hitler as
lord and master-if not in name,
certainly in fact. Hungary's best
customers in the past were Austria
and Czecho- -Slovakia. Austria's
manufactured goods were purchased
in Hungary, which, in turn, sold her
raw materials and foodstuffs. To-
gether they were able to sell their
products through Switzerland to
the mountaineering countries. Austria
had common frontier with Switzer-
land and Germany could thus be
avoided. That is all over now. And
the story is heard here as it is heard
in Belgrade and elsewhere. Germany
and Italy have the pick of the mar
ket at world prices. They take them
and sell the Hungarians whatever
they think ought to be sold here at
their own price. 4
There are industries in Hungary,
quite important ones for a scoun-
try with only 100000 people. But
they are in the hands of the Jews
and when they are kicked out or
made outlaws they will come into the
hands of the Germans who will use
them to the Reich's best advantage.