NAZIS IN RUSSIA

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 80, 20 July 1942, Page 2

NAZIS IN RUSSIA

II err Alfred Rosenberg, chief racial theorist of Nazism, has been proclaimed "Czar" of the greatest pari oi' occupied Russia. A proportion of the Soviet Ukiaine, in deiiance of tlie autonomists' dreams, has. been, added to the Polish Guveenmenl General ; and whatever ■•independent" governments were created after tlie German onslaught on Russian soil have been dissolved long since. Nor haw the Nazis kept their promise "to restore the farmers' property." It would not have been possible, under the existing circumstances to create sinaii holdings op. Russian *v.iM\ without further impeding life fertility oi' the soil and thus adding to .the economic difficulties. Management of Collectives It has always been Hitler's dream to settle miliums of German peasants on Russian territories. However, Germany's own manpower shortage so far prevents him from carrying his wishes into reality. A certain number of Nazi peasants, most of them second sons of German farmers who were deprived of their heritage by the new German non-partition heritage law, were made commissars of Russhwi Communal Farmsteads and "National Farmsteads"; these, by the way, are the Nazi terms for collective and state farms. In a number of cases, when no Germans were available. Dutch Quislings were sent to Russia, where they received well-paid administrative posts in the villages. But very often there were neither Nazis nor Quislings at hand and the Germans made the collective farmers "elect" a Russ'an as their leader ; they mostly chose as their candidate some elderly former kulak or someone else who was prepared to work as their tool, writes A. B. Rimer in "Tribune." The obstacles confronting Nazi administrators in Russian towns are probably even greater than in rural districts. It is difficult for them to get the necessary hands for any sort of work. When the Germans entered Kiev, this city of, normally, 800,000 inhabitants had only a population of 400,000 —most of- them women, children and men above military age; this proportion may be fairly representative for other towns as well. In Odessa a compulsory labour service for all people between 16 and 20 years of age has been introduced. In White Russia the labour service is compulsory for boys from 14 to 20 and for girls from 17 to 24. But even though it is sometimes possible in this way to mobilise a sufficient number of workers for some immediate task, there is a definite lack of -■ foremen, masters and managers. Furthermore, as a German newspaper recently complained, there is always a definite danger of sabotage being done by Russian workers in more resnonsible positions. Most of the managerial side of the industrial work has to be done by German soldiers. Goering Trust A special company was formed by the Hermann Goering Trust, with a view to reorganising the heavy industries in occupied Russia. Little is known so far of its activities and little will be known as long as the technical and economic staff of the German Army is pre-occupied with remedying the most terrifying results of the Russians' scorched earth policy. Some suggestions have been forwarded for the creation of other industrial companies but their shares, even if admitted at the German stock exchange, Avould so far not represent any real value. Starvation All schools in the Ukraine were closed towards the middle of December; the reasons forwarded by the authorities were firstly that no fuel was available and secondly that there was a danger of "serious epidemics." There is a shortage, in large parts of the Ukraine, of soap and medicines, and, most serious of all, the drinking water. Food also is scarce. A Swedish newspaper correspondent who visited 'h- T'!- r ,- in October reported the- r^dv that tlie weekly bread e > " bare 50 ounces per h°a ■' ""e<: were only obtainable >Vv- w '• "special connections" a - "'■■ "as scarce as * '" -rhowever are bourn 1 ; bad to worse since t'c i-nvn not secured any apprcci"'' i—po - ticn of last year's Ukraira « Iw avvest. The Nazi press may fo" -■-"•n i->nvo. stated the truth in writing that there is no hope of ■■"' Germany's food position w' 1 ' a'd of the Ukrainian g'ana^v

No' Converts to Nazism Th- Nazi-controlled "Kiakauer Zeitung" recently wrote, in a report about the Ukraine, that hardsy anybody has openly shuw;: his joy about the arrival o! the German troops. Tlie numerous nets of snbo'ag? vrad tlie ass'tance givon to th.> guerilla fighters are l"u :'Lhor proo!' oi* lite attitude of the civilian pnp'.i'r.L'on. Large Minis have been prom's .'d to anybody killing o" cap'.iiring a gu *rilhi soldier. The •<.tvn:u'/' oi' Lho Russian A'"iny \-. Ii i ra ; -e new hopes in the lvaris of ihe o;)ore:-.s >d Peo[>le of occupied iln-s';;. jiv-l re- i a Hie other suppress el csueLrics of Europe.