PARTY PUBLICATIONS CRUSH COMPETITION
n )4n Our German. Correspondent UNDER Herr Coebbels's rule German newspapers have become so monotonous and uninteresting that their total circulation dropped to onethird Of normal. SIM dailies have been forbidden or died of political and economical diseases. Their disappearance was, however, in no way instru mental 'In making the life of ether papers easier. Only very few of them, owing to a strong pressure exercised by state and party authorities, were able to increase their circulation.
The " Vatiitscher Retread/2er," official organ of the kational Socialist party, is far ahead of all others, but its four editions had in 1arch, (nay a corntriried averagc circulabon of 354,160 copies a day. If you subtract t compulsory" subscribers (public authorities, schools, ;aain cmptoyers, em.) 02.0 reingining figure Of rolunlary readers is unimportant.
The Three Decrees
The party which rules Geerneny sf`A8 only ohs way to strengthen the party pres. it wanes to get. ria at all (am
petitors 411irtRittUittg a real awitopely gotiteelf.
That is the meaning of the three decrees resume hy Barr Anieurn,
deal, of the aerman Press Bureau and director of the Eller Publishing Camparty which owes the 170 official nazi ae well ae a great taltaber or weeklies andJflOffluiI Ttir: decree which deeiroys the laa remainders ra press indeperinenee ls very euptiemierically named "Orditial,ce for the Itlaintenance uf the Independence or laew.spaper Publishere."
The second decree allews the dissolution or newepapria wherever in the opinion of naa,i leaders the existence of beveral papers makes the eituatiou a exadomieally um/mud."
The third iiecree prohibila entirely the peblieation -of scandal sheets. We have, of course, no objection to this anemone but we have not forgotten that it wa.s in Ilas category of paper that Dr. Goetiheie, Dr. ley and Dr. Schacht started their journalistic careen.
Catholic Papers Aimed At
On of tho chief object a crf tbel Drat decree is tho definite elimination of CatbOlie plper. No paper may be run
by a enhipiti y VhoSe composition shows that it has been formed amircilLing tr professionat, corporative or aeligious viewpoints." lii ether words, no paper may belong to a eorapany whose members are ail Cattrolica.
Article 4 is even more deflate. If
reads: "Papers may not by thePr
contents address themselves to a group of peoole which is deter
mined or determinable by religious,
professional, or economic interests."
The decree does not say whether it is meant for dailiee only nr also_ for Weeklies, arid other periodicals, Bur a recently published article from an eaidently official fiouree says :
" Obviously those periodicals /ethic]] deal with special topical tasks ef corninanities ca imy description existing an Long people are RIL meant by the ordinance, i IL o fur as they liinit themselves strictly to their immediate objects and avoid carefully any intrusion into the °Wets of the daily press."
That, in Hitler-tie language, means that only nazi papers are allowed to comment on current events and that Catholic weeklies and monthlies can only continue it they talk exclusively of ecclesiastical matters in a narrow sense.
Erotintnie. social, lot
„ernatiOnat, Scien
tific, literary ari Ishii. problems will he absolutely barred for therm A paper of the Catholic Herald type would be quite impossible in Germany. Mgr. Orsemigo, papal nuncio in Berlin, was quite right lo protest against the press ordinance/ AS an unde.rtiable. breaking, of the concordat of 19:33. Newspapers which di not fulfil the new requirements will have to disappear within three months. which in certain cases can be inerense-d to six months or twelve months,.
Artiele pria ides for exceptions which Indy be granted by the president of The Press Bureau. Sueli exceptions, when allowed, :vill certainly be subjeet. to very Ilan.] roralitions, and Catholic papers aro most unlikely to be able to benefit by thorn.
Vatican Protest 13.1.1.P. reports that the Holy See is already. preparing to make a protest againet the new German press law. which, it is eta:in-led, is a violation of articles 4 and 32 of the contiordat between Gent/wry and the Vatican, and evill work• excessive hardship on the Catholic press in Germany.