Western Powers In Winning Position In “Battle Of The Mark”

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 June 1948, Page 5

Western Powers In Winning Position In “Battle Of The Mark”

(N.Z. P. A. —ReUtcr—uopyngnt) London. June 27. The Western Powers are decisively winning the battle of the mark, says Berlin correspondent of "The Times.” The Eastern mark slumped further yesterday and continued to do so today. Inflation is such that there is no reason why the Eastern currency should not go the way of tne mark in 1923. It commands no confidence in Western Berlin and extremely little in the Russiaq sector. Major-General Heroert, the British commandant of Berlin, announced that certain economies would be introduced on June 29 for all services, also members of the control commission lor Germany. There is no immediate shortage of supplies in Berlin. but the replenishment of stocks oould oe made only by air, he said. The United States military government has announced similar austerity moves for the American sectorThe German news agency, Dena, reports that the Western authorities are issuing -fo their sectors a special allocation of dried fruits and canned foods to alleviate a food shortage. The American-licensed newspaper "Tages Spiegel” reports surplus milk in Russian .shops. It describes Russia’s action in cutting off eastern zone food, including milk for children and hospitals, from the western zone sectors of Berlin as “Russia’s war on children.” The “Taegiiche Rundschau” declares that the Russians would provide milk if the Western Powers asked for it. Agency reports from Berlin state that the American military governor, General Clay, in a letter to Marshal Sokolovsky, offered to discuss resumption of trade between the American and Russian zones, which has been suspended since the Russians imposed transport restriction. “BESIEGED" BERLIN. A high American Government official said all available United States transport and aircraft would be pressed into service immediately to fly supplies into "besieged" Berlin. Berlin radio announced that the Russian ban on the supply of electricity from the Soviet zone to Berlin’s western sectors would be lifted for four hours tomorrow afternoon because power consumption was expected to be lower on a Sunday. A British transport official announced that a barge carrying 300 tons of grain and flour arrived and 13 more barges were moving towards the City. Two trains carrying potatoes had reached Berlin from western Germany- There was no official indication tli£t this meant that the Russians were lifting the transport embargo. THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM. A request for the immediate restoration of normal traffic communications in Berlin was made by the British military governor, General Robertson, in a letter to the Russian military governor. Marshal Sokolovsky. General Robertson declared that if the Germans suffered unduly the onus would fall on the Russians. He said that hitherto he had not protested because he had assumed from the Soviet announcement that the Soviet restrictions were temporary and designed to protect the Soviet zone currency pending the introduction of conversion. However, he had it from the Press that the Soviet military administration had announced the suspension on technical grounds of all traffic on the Helmstedt-Beriin railway. and that there would he no alternative route- Simultaneously barge traffic had been stooped. General Robertson said he was able and willing to continue his resqonsibilitv of contributing supplies for the population of Berlin if trains and barges were free to pass. The interruption of essential freigh' could not be necessary to protect the Soviet zone’s currency.