RUHR COAL PRICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26692, 11 February 1948, Page 5

RUHR COAL PRICES

BRITISH SEEK INCREASE TO CONSUMERS STRONG SOVIET OPPOSITION N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 9 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 10. Another Anglo-Soviet wrangle has developed in Germany, this time about the price charged for coal from the Ruhr mines. At present Ruhr coal is costing 30 marks a ton to produce (about 15s at the current rate of exchange), but is being sold in all four zones at 15 marks a ton. In the British zone the loss is being carried by German taxpayers and was one of the reasons why last year’s Budget deficit amounted to 950,000,000 marks. The British authorities recently proposed that coal prices should be increased to a more economic figure, but, although the Americans and the French agreed, the Russians strongly opposed any such move on the grounds that higher coal prices would further lower German standards of living. In one of the strongest criticisms of Russian propaganda so far made by any British Control Commission official, Sir Cecil Weir, president of the economic sub-commission of the control administration, during the weekend described the Russian statement as “deliberately designed to mislead public opinion,’’ and the Soviet counter- proposals as “ irrelevant and use-counter-proposals suggested that coal production subsidies should be increased and a new system of bookkeeping installed. At the same time as this dispute developed, Major-general E. O. Herbert, G.0.C.. British troops in Berlin, issued a circular letter to all British families in Berlin warning them against false rumours put out by “sources unfavourably disposed to Britain,’’ and requesting them not to assist the originators of these rumours by repeating them. '