Four Powers Have Divergent Views

Chronicle (Levin), 29 May 1946, Page 5

Four Powers Have Divergent Views

Press Assji.-

•USING COUNTRY'S RESOURCES

By Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Wednesday, 10.30 a.m. LONDON, May 28. While expressing the hope that agreement 011 economic unity for Germany could be reached in time to save the plan for German economy from failure, a British Military Government official indicated that the British zone would be able to earr ' on as an independent unit, sa, C-Reuter's Berlin correspondent. . le official said: "We firmly hope that the agreement for economic unity will not fall through. We are not despairing of implementing it." The principal points on which there is divergence between the British and Americans and Russians are the use of the indigenous resources of each zone for the benefit of the whole of Germany, and the adoption of common standards of consumption, chiefly of food. "We are not planning for a disrupted but a united Germany," the official continued. "However, the plans are such that we shall still be on a good wicket should anything happen that we do not want to happen." The British case for treating Germony as an economic whole did not necessarily mean the establishment of a central administration, he said, but uniform machinery of commerce, banking and finance would be required to assist the free movement of goods. British officials felt that if any deiicit appeared in Germany's import and export account it should be shared by the four powers and not be borne by one. The Germans' post-war burden should be borne by Germany as a whole. For example, compensation and unemployment should be a national burden, and should not be borne by the people of the industrial regions alone.