CONDITIONS CHAOTIC

Chronicle (Levin), 17 January 1947, Page 5

CONDITIONS CHAOTIC

(Special Correspondent).

LIFE IN GERMANY AT ITS LOWEST EBB

JL.W.N .uu.x, ,i sui. io. As a rcsult of Ihe continuing coal shortage, tne crippling efl'ects of the cold spell and Ihe deterioration of morale among the people, life in West ern Germany is at present at its Jow est ebb since the end of ihe war, states the Dusseldorf correspomlent of the -Manchester Guanlian. Gonditions are so ehaotie that there is unlikely to be auy substantial revival of German industry before the spring. Although the Rnhr and the Rhinelaud are now thawiug out, another severe cold spell is predicted during tlie last week of the month. At present, German economie life is merely crawling feebly from one crisis to another, and while this continues, reconstruction is inipossible. The effect of the merging of the British and American Zones lias not yet made itself feJt, and the majority'ol the German population appears to be sunk in apatliy. The Press and the German leaders are full of complaints and recriminations against the occupying Powers, and tlie general treiul is still umnistakably downhill. To. apportiori the e.xtent to which the present ufisery .'ij.ni 3 stiignation is altrib utable to .British mistakes, lo misfortune, to the inevitable consequences oi war, or to the German failure to get down to the task of reconstruction, is not casy. One of the chief German com plaints is that there luis lieen no, domestic coal issue since Xovember, but tlie Kuhr miners themselves refused to work tlie additional shift each month which was necessary to obtain the extra fuel.

Coal Obtamed by Barter. On the other hand, it can be argued that the miners refused because of an industrial poiicy which continues to export coal from Germany even when industry is paralysed and nuich of the population completely vvithout fuel. Jn some towns, there is no doubt that some of the people with money and iuHuenee have a little coal. This they have obtained by bartering food or goods with the miners. People without money or influence, however, have been without fuel foi weeks, and have been living in indes cribable niisery and wretchedness. Shortages break both the public spirit and morality, and everv man is for himself. Tlie German industrial machine has been steadily running down for some time. Coal stocks are exhausted, works are closed down and equipment left un repaired. The cold spell before Christmas froze the canals and stopped all . movement of fuel by water.

Xevertheless, in spite ot" the eondi tions, the movement of food sujiplies was generally maintained, but there are acute shortages of potatoes and milk, antFlocal shortages of bread. A slight revival is now apparent as a result of the thaw. The brown coalfields .are working again, aml the railways are getting back to normal, but there is little prospect of obtaining suflieient fuel to keep industry moving at more than 50 per cent. of its Novem ber rate of activity. This, in its turn, was less than 2b per cent. of the normal capacity. Hix American ships carrying United States artny wheat to Germany have been ordered instead to Italy to stave off famine and possible food riots.