CZECH CABINET CRISIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26703, 24 February 1948, Page 5

CZECH CABINET CRISIS

MINISTERS’ RESIGNATIONS

COMMUNISTS DEMAND ACCEPTANCE N.Z.P.A.—Copyright

Rec. 11 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 23. Heavy pressure is being put upon the President, Dr Edouard Benes, to accept the resignation of the eight Ministers who have asked leave to resign from the Czechoslovak Cabinet in protest against the Communists’ refusal to carry out the instructions of the majority of Cabinet against the victimisation of non-Communists in policy, says The Times correspondent in Prague. The Communist Premier, Mr Element Gottwald, and the chairman of the Trade Union Federation, Mr Zapotocky, both demanded the acceptance of the resignations in their speeches to 8000 representatives of the works councils. The final resolution, however, left this delicate issue on one side partly, no doubt, because Dr Benes is known to be unwilling to take this step, and as he is extremely popular among the Communists themselves an open clash between him and their leader would be highly unwelcome. It was announced that the Trade Union Council had called a one-hour general strike to-morrow to support demands for the enlargement of the nationalisation programme. The chairman of the police trade union thanked the Communist Minister of the Interior, Mr Vaclav Nosek. for his “ help towards democratisation,” and declared: “ It will never be possible to send the police against you. The police would act against the black marketeers, traitors, and their defenders.”

The chairman of the Social Democrats, in a newspaper interview, said his party’s Cabinet Minister would resign if renewal of the National Front coalition were impossible. Prague radio carried only the Communist statements on the Cabinet crisis. It refused to allow the Social Democrat Food Minister, Mr Vaclav Majer, to broadcast. Security police confiscated the Slovak Democrat newspaper Cas at Bratislava, and two small newspapers at Gstravatbecause of comments on the crisis. Mr Gottwald, at the inaugural meeting of a new society f<?r promoting Czechoslovak and Soviet friendship. said: "Anti-Soviet agitation in the future will not be tolerated.” Mr Gottwald referred to the Czechoslovak crisis as “nothing else than a general attack by reactionary forces to overthrow Czechoslovak foreign policy and gradually suspend our alliances.” Czechoslovakia’s alliance with Russia is the best and most reliable guarantee of the country’s freedom, says the Defence Minister, General Ludvik Svoboda in a newspaper article on the Red Army’s thirtieth anniversary. The article adds: “The Czech army must and will learn from the Soviet army.

A great shortage of experienced stonemasons is threatening to hold up progress on the new chamber for the House of Commons. The stone for the building is to come from the famous Clipsham Quarries, in Rutland. Workmen including German P.O.W.’s are seen laying down the reinforced concrete floors. The concrete is steam treated so that it can be laid in frosty weather.