NO INTEREST

Evening Star, Issue 25619, 20 October 1945, Page 7

NO INTEREST

! GERMANS WILL HOT HELP THEMSELVES ACUTE PROBLEMS FOR ALLIES (Rec. 8 a.m.) LONDON Oct, 19. Although Germany is faced with famine this winter the Germans are doing very little to help themselves. A senior officer of the British Military Government at Luneberg said: "Wo had a bad harvest this year in our zone, and the outlook is deplorable for next year. There will bo a deficit of 3,000,000 tons of food, which must bo imported. This was due,to an appaling, lack of fertilisers, farm implements., and tractors." The Germans in the British zone are suffering acutely from lack of vitamins, and cod-liver oil is being prepared for children under 10 years of age. A million refugees a month are coming into this zone from the east, yet rations are already below what in regarded as necessary for health. Doctors in the British zone are emphasising; the grave risk of epidemics in the coming winter. A British official said: "The Germans are leaving all the thinking to the Allies, though they jump to orders like automatons. They have no idea of doing things that are crying out to be done. We have the greatest difficulty in getting them to accept responsibility even for health services. Five months ago we told them.we could not spare much coal, but they did not believe us, and have done little to ge in the tens of thousands of tons of wood and fuel needed for their homes. Sis months before we 'entered, their vegetable gardens were excellent, but now their interest has wsned, and though we have warned them of the dangers they will not work the gardens."