BRITISH REMOVAL OF FACTORIES IN WEST GERMANY

Grey River Argus, 7 October 1949, Page 5

BRITISH REMOVAL OF FACTORIES IN WEST GERMANY

Again Under Attack

(Rec 10.5) WASHINGTON, Oct 6. To-day the United States State Department received a petition from 44 Democratic and Republican Senators urging the halting of the dismantling of the West German industrial piants. The Senators, in their letter to Mr Dean Acheson, Secretary of State, called for he retention of all of the plants that are under dismantling orders for distribution to the Allies for reparations.

The letter complained that Britain had recently increased her dismantling in the British zone.

Grave Unemployment Blamed on Factory Removals BERLIN IN A SERIOUS PLIGHT

(Rec 10.40) BERLIN, Oct 6. General Sir Brian Robertson in his first month’s report as British High Commissioner in Germany, says:— The Germans can be expected to show increasing opposition to the Allied dismantling of their factories. The dismantling continues to be blamed for the huge numbers of the unemployed, and German political circles do not seem altogether to be displeased that this is so< General Robertson says that “special measures” are being considered by the High Commissioners to give Berlin outside assistance. He says that the most serious aspect of life in Berlin is .the city’s growing financial malaise, which more than anything else, is affected a return to the pre-blockade life of the city, zone including the Ruhr. Valuable equipment was being scrapped, they said. Inter-German Trade

(Rec. 11.37) BERLIN, October 6. “Allied leaders now regard the Russian zone of Germany as a foreign country in regard to tradb”, says the British United Press. British, French and United States advisers on trade affairs have decided that trade with th e Russian zone, which previously was classified as “interzonal”, must now be described as “foreign”. The three Western High Commissioners must, consequently, give their approval to a projected trade pact between the East and West zones before an agreement can be implemented. This trade pact was ready for signature five days ago. The Allied High Commissioners are still considering it. LONDON, Oct. 5

Professor Ludwig, Erhard, West German Economics Minister, said in Bonn to-day that the Allied view that any East-West zonal trade agreement required the Allied High Commission’s approval was untenable. He was commenting on the commission’s intervention in Frankfurt last, night, which postponed the signing of an agreement. “T.vo previous inter-zonal agreements were concluded by the German authorities, even though that was during the period of the Military Government,” he said. “To make such an agreement now a subject for High Commission decision would be a step backard at a time when the occupation statute was supposed to extend the powers to the German authorities.” WEST GERMANS FACING A TEST AS DEMOCRATS BERLIN,, October 5 Germans must be encouraged to fight resurgent Nazism and anti-sem-itism themselves, instead of relying on occupying forces, said Mr. John McCloy, American High Commissioner in Germany. He told seven hundred leading members of his staff at Frankfurt that in many ways, the task of occupation would be more difficult now that the High Commission had taken over the functions of the former Military Government, He said: “If it is not a new crisis in Berlin, it will be something just as difficult, just as vital and just as ominous with which we shall have to deal.” Mr. McCloy, who was speaking on the occasion of the official transfer of authority to the High Commission, said that many signs pointed to the tendency for Germany to become a peaceful and constructive factor’ in Europe, but he recalled that the picture, was almost equally optimistic after the First World War. He added, “The test of Germany’s adherence to democratic thought may not come this year, or next year, but come it will, and it may well be severe.”

Rumania and Poland Against The West German State

(Hee. 7.30). LONDON, October 6. The Governments of Rumania and Poland to-day protested against the formation of a West German Government at Bonn. A statement issued by Rumania called the Bonn Government a “reactionary Government of a nature which will threaten the peaceful, creative labour of the Rumanian people and other European peoples”.

In Warsaw, Poland delivered Notes, protesting against a West German State, to the British, United States and French Embassies. The text of the Notes was not disclosed, but a spokesman at the American Embassy said they took the line of a Note addressed by Moscow to the three Western Powers two days ago.