SOVIET CAPITULATES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27090, 26 May 1949, Page 7

SOVIET CAPITULATES

PAYMENT IN WEST MARKS STRIKING BERLIN RAILWAY WORKERS v V . NZPA—Copyright Rec. 9 p.m. BERLIN, May 25. The German News Agency reported that the Soviet-appointed German controller of railways'in Berlin was now prepared, to pay the wages, of the striking railwaymen.;in .West marks. The agency added that the men had been asked to return to work to-day * but the strikers’ spokesman said they would not return until the railway authorities made binding promises, of payment in West marks. Situation Quiet Earlier messages said that, though in most parts of Berlin the situation was reported to be quiet, French gendarmes had a clash with a group of Germans, described by the west sector police headquarters as “ Communist saboteurs ” on the borders of the French and ' Soviet sectors. Headquarters stated that the Communist gang tried to commit acts of sabotage, but was driven off by French gendarmes. A number of stations in the French sector, including Tegel, which changed hands frequently m clashes between the strikers and the Sovietcontrolled railway • police yesterday, were occupied during the night by the French gendarmes. The Western Military Governments have ordered west sector German police to take over the strike-bound elevated railway stations in the three western sectors, and to expel the eastern sector railway police who are holding them. The United States commandant, Brigadier-general Frank Howley, said he was ordering his German police to move into every station in the United States sector. The British and French authorities are doing likewise.

“ Out of Patience ” General Howley said the Americans were “just about out of patience’ with the violence of the Berlin strike. “I won’t stand by while the Soviet railway police shoot into crowds in the American sector, and forcibly take prisoners to the east sector, who will be tried there and perhaps sentenced to death.” „ , In a letter to the Russian transport chief, General Petrov, telling him that he had demanded the removal of the Russian sector railway police from the United States sector of Berlin, General Howley said: “It is also requested that, you issue orders to withdraw immediately any Soviet troop units which have been sent into the United States sector to occupy railway property.” General Howley’s letter coninued: “ The United States Military Government has possibly shown too great patience in this matter in its endeavour to permit the railway management to negotiate in a legitimate manner its differences with the striking workmen. It is now obvious that the armed police under railway* control and your responsibility are engaged in a type of strike-break-ing which has resulted in unnecessary bloodshed, and is conducive to even greater violence unless curbed at once.

“I am therefore compelled to take action consistent with my duties as United States commandant, and in accordance with the plea which I received from the elected city Government of Berlin. The Soviet-controlled railway police moved out quietly last night when armed reinforcements of. ‘West Berlin police began taking over all stations in their three sectors of the city. The three-Power-action came on the fourth day of Berlin’s bloody railway strike against tjne Soviet-controlled railway administration, which has cost two lives and left hundreds injured.

. Air Lift Statistics The British air lift headquarters in Berlin announce that up to mid-day on May 1, British aircraft had flown 60,341 sorties and 21,746,742 miles on Berlin air lift operations. The total deliveries in net metric, tons to. the German economy are: British, 270,123.7 tons, or 23.5 per cent, of the total deliveries; United States, 878,749.3 tons, or 76.5 per cent, of the total deliveries; total, 1,148,873 metric tons.