Herr Hitler has made no real contribution to the solution of the Czechoslovakian-Sudeten crisis in the speech which he made at the closing of the Nuremberg conference on Monday, and the situation may generally be described as unchanged. It is true that he has reaffirmed his support of the claims of the Sudeten Germans, and has indicated that if necessary he would go to their aid, but that has been known ever since the crisis first came to a head, and it is possible that, as a result of his remarks, Herr Henlein and his party will now seek to press for a plebiscite amongst the Sudeten Germans. That the Czechoslovakian government is pledged to resist, and the effect of this latest pronouncement of Der Fuehrer, violent in terms though it is, may be taken as merely postponing decisions which he may ultimately have to make. Official opinion in Washington to the effect that "the bark is alarming, but the bite will at least be postponed," is probably the most accurate summing up of the position at the moment. Undoubtedly rr Hitler has indicated how far he stands committed in the matter, and the real danger aow is that the commitment is now so definite, that he will be completely unable to retreat from the stand which he has adopted without that loss of domestic prestige which is so necessary for the maintenance of the position which he holds in the esteem of the people he governs. The seriousness of the situation is that the Dictator has pubicly burned his boats, and that is a factor which will have to be taken into account at ul times when endeavouring to estimate the real meaning of future developments. That he speech makes no constructive contribution o the settlement of the crisis is only too apparent, and, while the continued mòbilzation of a million and a half German troops remains a patent fact, it is apparent that German pressure upon the Czechoslovakian Government is just as real as the Anglo-French pressure upon Germany of which Herr Hitler complains.
If Der Fuehrer were to leave the two opposing parties to work out their own salvation, there is a chance that some satisfactory and permanent settlement might be reached. The concessions which Prague has announced should go a very long way towards that most desirable end, but the larger view of the whole affair shows that me settlement of the domestic difference in Czechoslovakia is but a small matter in German eyes as compared with the anschluss.
Hence the suggestion that a plebiscite should be held in the Sudeten areas is regarded with the gravest suspicion as paving the way for the anschluss which obviously has been in Herr Hitler's mind ever since he attained power. That, the Czechoslovakian Prime Minister has definitely stated, will be resisted, and it appears that the general feeling of the Czechs is that they would fight rather than agree to any such solution of the present impasse. The world at large will not be greatly impressed by Herr Hitler's moving reference to the persecution which it is alleged has been inflicted upon the Sudetens. That they have grievances, and very real ones at that, will not for one moment be denied: that they should be remedied with the utmost dispatch must be immediately conceded, but in foreign eyes these matters are [but the excuse for proceeding with a policy which must be viewed with the deepest possible concern. Opinion abroad will not be unduly impressed by Herr Hitler's impassioned outburst over the alleged perse-caution of the Sudetens, for judging from: all that has happened in Germany and. Austria, the contention appears to be that discrimi ation against the German race is most highly to be condemned, while nothing can be more praiseworthy than the outrageous persecution of certain other minorities. Foreign opinion refuses to believe that the sauce for the goose is an inappropriate accompaniment for -the gander, and the illogicality of the contention in no way serves to improve matters.
Yet it must be confessed that Herr Hitler could not have said anything other than he did on Monday afternoon. His oracular silence during the past week induced ihe thought that even then he might have méin-tained reticence on the matter, but now that he has spoken he has said little that was not already fully realized. He has most certainly said nothing calculated to improve matters, but there is comfort in the thought that there is little or nothing in his pronouncement likely immediately to tend towards deterioration. That the speech will stiffen the Sudeten attitude is inevitable, but as Herr Henlein has always been fully apprised of the German policy in the matter his position is no stronger now than it was at the end of last week. Nevertheless the situation is a grave one. The breaking down of Sudeten discipline, as evidenced in the recent increase of incidents precipitated by some of Herr Henlein's followers,—whether directly inspired or not, really does not matter,—increases the danger that some such occurrence may bring about a collapse of the present unstable situation, and bring about that resort to arms the likelihood of which cannot in any way be discounted. It is possible to accept the statement that Herr Hitler does not desire war entirely at its face value. No sane man anywhere in the world wants to see the outbreak of a conflagration the result of which no matter to which side victory ultimately goes, must be general disaster. It was with the desire that everything possible should be done to avert such a catastrophe, that unusual pressure has been brought to beat upon Prague by Great Britain and France. There is something in the Soviet contention that Czechoslovakia is being required to pay a very high price for the peace of Europe, and it is clear that the limits of concession have been reached. The latest Czech proposals did form a basis for negotiation. That has been admitted by the Sudeten Party itself, and the soundest statesmanship would have been to permit these two opponents to work out their own destiny uninfluenced by more outside pressure. It is believed they could, even now, were they let alone, but that would not suit Herr Hitler's book. The major aspects of his policy require the bending of Czechoslovakia entirely to his will and the meek acquiescence of Great Britain and France, which it must be quite obvious to him by now cannot be obtained, Dirty Shanghai Shanghai never wasa city of spotless perfection but a common observation by people who knew it in other days is that the place never looked so dirty as it does today. The influx of tens of thousands of Chinese refugees whose habitations are makeshift at the best, and the consequent disorganization in transport, storage, traffic and social conditions has altered the more ordered routine of other days and added to general untidiness which breeds dirt. The Bund is an outstanding example. Necessity has compelled the conversion of what once was a comparatively handsome river front, with one or two relieving patches of green lawn, into a series of cargo wharves where cattle, vegetables, iron, steel, cotton, silk and goods of all kinds are unloaded, and the hasty and temporary accommodation provided for this purpose has added to the general disarray initiated by cargo working, Concentration of hundreds of Chinese wharf coolies, who use roads and pavements for more utilitarian purposes than the average foreigner, does not improve matters, and makes a heavy rainfall not a nuisance but an undisguised sanitary blessing. Another condition unusually noticeable in recent months is the smoke which frequently hangs over the Whangpoo. Through the use of cheap coal, or perhaps through poor combustion combined with some meteorological circumstance, the dozens of small steamers using the central portion of the Whangpoo create a smoke screen of foul intensity, and it lingers long and givers a wide area like a black haze, scattering its soot and grime in offices whose once-proud advantage was a view of the broad sweep of the Whangpoo from the French Concession to Yangtszepoo. There is probably nothing harmful in it from a health point of view because many industrial cities in England' where the pure rays of God's sun scarcely ever penetrate the gloom the death rate is lower. than in some of the [semi-rural towns. And, of course, practical considerations nowadays exclude any mention lot the aesthetic in a city which never troubled much on this score, but as external conditions exercise a profound effect on human mentality much of the communal depression which Shanghai is suffering at present may probably be ascribed to the external change the city has experienced since the hostilities started.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.