Zone Plan Accepted In Principle

Northern Advocate, 9 January 1948, Page 5

Zone Plan Accepted In Principle

HAMBURG, Thu. (10 a.m.).—The president of the German Economic Council for the Anglo-American zone (Dr Koehler) announced his council’s agreement in principle with the AngloAmerican proposals for the reorganisation cf the council.

Generals Clay and Robertson today discussed German counter-proposals. German officials’ main criticism concerned the extent of the power given to the chairman of the proposed new executive.

Both generals emphasised yesterday that the objective of the British and American Governments remained unchanged, namely, a unified Germany governed by a German Government capable of governng properly. At no time they said, must they write off that part of Germany which could not be included in the present proposals, but at the same time they could not sit still with folded hands. • The present conference was not concerned with constitution-making or long-term policy, but with immediate necessities. TARGET DATE The proposed new administration for the Anglo-American zones would possess virtually all the powers required to conduct internal affairs, said General Clay at a Press conference today: quoted by the Frankfurt correspondent of the Associated Press.

Administration would have limited authority to levy taxes, establish courts, administer food, agriculture, transport and communications. The correspondent says the British and American authorities provisionally set February 1, 1948, as the target date for the proposed new system to take effect. MUST AVOID POLITICS Reuters correspondent quotes General Robertson as saying that the new administration must avoid politics and limit itself to financial and economic affairs. General Robertson added that there was no intention of making Frankfurt the western capital; it was only intended to be the seat of the bi-zonal financial and economic administration.