BERLIN AIRLIFT FACES CRITICAL PHASE OF FIGHT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22821, 16 December 1948, Page 5

BERLIN AIRLIFT FACES CRITICAL PHASE OF FIGHT

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter— Copyright.) (10 a.m.) LONDON. Dec. 35.

The organisers of the Berlin airlift are bracing themselves to meet the most critical phase of the fight to take blockaded Western sectors of the city through the winter without economic and industrial collapse, says the Daily Telegraph's correspondent in Berlin. A crisis is inevitable towards the end of January by which time the stocks of coal in hand before the blockade started will be nearly exhausted There, consequently, will have to be still further restrictions on industrial activity and these will cause increased unemployment and distress. Airlift planners believe that the crisis can be overcome without a disastrous breakdown provided the winter is not exceptionally severe and there is not an unforeseen adverse development in the general situation

There is no question of the German food ration having to be reduced. The Times’ correspondent in Berlin says that the number of employees who will take the opportunity to continue serving the legally elected administration as a result of the establishment of the headquarters of the City Bank and City Savings Bank in the Western sectors, which has been authorised by the Western Military Governors, is likely to be large.

The loyalty of the servants of the rightful Magistrat has been manifested in an encouraging way, more so as working in the Russian sector they have been open to many kinds of intimidation. The Magistrat of the. Russian sector, Herr Ebert, is finding itself denuded of many trained officials.

Russians Dismiss 700 Berlin Postal Workers

(10 a.m.)

BERLIN, Dec. 15.

The Western Berlin postal authorities announced today that the Soviet sector postal administration yesterday summarily dismissed 700 of the 1300 employees in the Eastern sector installations of Berlin’s central telegraph office for refusing to sign a declaration of allegiance to the newly-formed “Eastern” Magistrat. The majority of the dismissed officials live in the Western sectors of the city. Three hundred other proWestern officials in a number of Sovietsector post offices have been dismissed for the same reasons.

It is hoped to find work for most of those dismissed in the Western sector postal administration, although officials there say it will be difficult.

EAST-WEST GERMAN SMUGGLERS ACTIVE

(10 a.m.)

BERLIN, Nov. 15,

An official German spokesman said that 60 firms in Western Germany were engaged in large-scale smuggling of steel and other products into the Russian zone, reports the Associated Press correspondent in Dusseldorf.

Western firms received in exchange large quantities of textiles which they sold for high prices in the West zones. Western German police have confiscated 8,000,000 Deutschemarks (£600,000) worth of goods and hard currency involved in the transactions. An official said that the Soviet military administration had given its consent to the transport of goods into Western Germany. The West German police had consequently confiscated the Dusseldorf banking account of the Com-munist-dominated German Economic Commission of the Soviet zone which has its headquarters in Berlin. The confiscation was ordered after an investigation disclosed that the Dusseldorf account arose from the proceeds of smuggled products. He estimated that since the currency reform in June goods valued at 22,000,000 Deutschemarks had been smuggled into the Soviet zone. In addition about 5,000,000 actual Deptschemarks had been sent illegally into the West zones.