NAZI LABOUR PROBLEM.

Kaikoura Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 57, 24 July 1944, Page 4

NAZI LABOUR PROBLEM.

ALERT IN FRANCE TO FILL LABOUR CALL. Alien workers in Reich arouse concern over danger of revolt if collapse starts. The Nazis look with increasing concern on the 12,000,000 foreign workers in German factories who are likely to revolt when the Third Reich begins to crack. Underground reports inside Germany indicate that active resistance groups have been formed among the Reich’s labour slaves, and that these groups have established contact not only with anti-Nazi resistance groups all over Du rope, but with the Allied General Staffs as well. One of the most interesting and detailed reports on the work of the “Sixth Column” inside Hitler’s inner fortress has come from a correspondent of the Swedish paper Aftonbladet, which is regarded as friendly to the Avis. GROUPS WELL ORGANISED. The Swedish journalist, Bert Wyler, goes so far as to declare that ‘ ‘ real partisan activities have developed inside German factories.” Numerous acts of sabotage on the part of foreignworkers constitute a problem to German war production. Despite increased supervision and ruthless repression on the part of the Gestapo, production speed is systematically slowed down, while at the same time “inexplicable” accidents occur in growing number. French workers in Germany, it appears, are particularly well organised to carry out efficient sabotage. Among

them are many members of the French Underground Movement who were drafted for labour service, some of them having even volunteered for this service in order to disrupt the German war machine in its very centre.

Perhaps even more important than these acts of systematic sabotage has been the information on German war production which the workers have been able to give to the Allies “French workers in German war factories have been permitted to return to their homes from time because of fatalities in their families. Most of them, had made accurate plans of various armament plans and lists on the variety and extent of their production.

These plans were handed over to organisations inside France and were eventually passed to the Allied Intelligence Service. It has been established that several —well hidden —Berlin factories were destroyed as a result of information given away by foreign workers. On several occasions, shortly before the arrival of Allied planes, foreign workers started fires “by mistake,” thus guiding Allied bombers to the target.

“The daily announcements about sentences passed on foreign workers in Germany,” the Swedish correspondent concludes, “speak a quite clear language and in a way constitute the foreign partisan army’s communiques from inside Germany.” LEAVES CANCELLED. These reports on growing spy activities in German war plants explain, at least partly, recent orders' issued by Nazi authorities and the cancelling of all leaves for foreign workers. Warnings against Allied spying have become one of the main characteristics of Nazi home-front propaganda. Although the Nazis are well aware*

of th© less and less concealed illwill and enmity on the part of their “foreign guests,” they have not yet given up all hope of “ sugarcoating” the hardships of slave labour and to win over part of the workers to the cause of ‘European defence.” The German radio in special radiocasts to foreign workers has stressed that they, as well as their German comrades, are members of “a single European working community” and that the “new order” assures foreign workers of the same rights as those enjoyed by Germans “with only slight differences due to the national customs and the special circumstances of the foreigners. ’ ’

REPRISALS FEARED. The chances that foreign workers will be taken by these reassurances are only very slight. Working conditions for foreign labour in Germany are appalling, and only fear of repression prevents the workers from revolting. Despite the Gestapo terror, strikes have become more frequent in recent weeks.

While promising to the foreign workers the protection of the German Lab' ur Ministry, the German authorities declared that workers over 16 years could not be compelled to work more than 60 hours a week, that is 10 hours daily. This limitation, moreover appears to be rather theoretical becn:;*e tic Nazis, r.t the same time, stated that the foreign workers, after having completed their work, were entitled to a daily rest of merely 10 hours, which ' indicate a 14-hour working day.