FOOD FOR GERMANS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26532, 6 August 1947, Page 5

FOOD FOR GERMANS

PROBLEM FACING BRITAIN dollar funds exhausted LONDON, Aug. 4. “I am going to make a supreme effort at the November conference of Foreign Ministers to attain the economic unity of Germany,” said Mr E. Bevin during the House of Commons debate on Germany and Austria. He was replying to a demand for more food and raw materials for Germany Asked where would he get the food and raw materials except from dollar countries, Mr Bevin said that when the present scheme ran out Britain could not stand the expenditure of any more dollars for that particular purpose. “We are aiming, if finance and food supplies warrant it,” he said, “to increase the calory value of the German ration up to 1800, which will give heavy workers about 2800 calorics a day.” Referring to Mr Paget’s (Lab.) assertion that the term “unconditional surrender” had prolonged the war, Mr Bevin said he did not think the demand for unconditional surrender had made the slightest difference to how the war ended. , It had. been said that " unconditional surrender ” was the Coalition Government’s policy. “We never heard of the phrase until it was said,” he stated “ I don’t know whether Mr Churchill had ever heard of it until it was said. Those words were said at a particular conference, and went out to the world. The first I saw of them was in the morning newspapers. Those words then became the cry of the world, but those words did not influence us at all when we came into office.” The Minister said the Labour Government policy had always been public ownership of the Ruhr industries “ Who is going to have those industries if the people don't? Are they going back to the syndicates of Krupps? ” he asked.

Mr Bevin added that the French policy hitherto had been four-Power control of the Ruhr, but he would not be a party to four-Power control of the Ruhr unless there was four-Power control of all German industry. Mr Bevin rejected a suggestion by Mr Harold Macmillan fCon.) that General Eisenhower should be invited to take charge of completely integrated Anglo-American headquarters and regional staff on the lines of a reconstituted Shaef. Mr Bevin said he thought a Supreme Commander was all right in war, but not right when they were beginning to build fqr peace.