SOVIET ZONE IN GERMANY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27151, 22 September 1953, Page 9

SOVIET ZONE IN GERMANY

State Withdraws Concessions (N - Z - Press Association—Copyright) (ReC - 10 p -?-\ BERLIN, September 21. The reliefs accorded East Germans only three mon s ago by the Russian Zone Government to allay popular discontent after .the revolt of June 17 were withdrawn on Saturday in an uncompromising speech by Mr Walter Ulbricht, the Secretary-General of the Communist Party and the Vice-Premier. He announced increased production norms for industrial workers, a new system of wage rates leading to the downgradmg of several classes of workers, and a renewal of the drive for collectivised farms, which was halted in May to stop the flight of farmers to the West. Mr Ulbricht, speaking at a session of the party central committee, also announced the formation of a new internal auxiliary security force of between 150,000 and 200,000 men to co-operate with the police in stamping out resistance to the Communist regime.

He said there would be a purge in the party of “petty bourgeois deviationists,” mainly Social Democrats.

All the production measures now reinstated had been admitted by the regime—in an orgy of self-criticism during the summer—to have been mistakes.

Their reintroduction shows that the Government is confident of having reestablished a grip on the population. Mr Ulbricht explained that the increase m production norms was in response to a request of the workers themselves “who complained that the existing norms-were too low and could in some cases be increased 200 and even 300 per cent.” Mr Ulbricht said the new wage system would include collective contracts.

Each factory would have a fixed production quota and a fixed wages pool, j - part of which would be distributed to “shock brigades and activists who won socialist emulation competitions.”