ALL THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN GERMANY

Chronicle (Levin), 29 November 1949, Page 5

ALL THESE THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN GERMANY

Received Monday, 7 p.m. LONDON, Nov. 2Sl After visiting the three Allied and Russian Zones in Germany, a correspondent of the Daily Mirror says that at the present rate of the- country's recovery,' the Germans will "be talking right back at us and ugly talk at that," in another five years. He refers to "the solid, relentless, unremitting toil" of the Germans — a "people so obedient, so patient, so imcomplaining, so remorseless, building up their industry with a cold determination that cannot be surpassed. With any other nation you could cheer. But with these people, these warlike people with their hideous past, it is to me, at any rate, a bloodchilling spectacle. They are hammering out their fate (and that of their neighbours) with such.a fury of effort that the determination never again to allow this nation to get on top, is turning to water before our eyes." The correspondent continues that at the present rate of progress and despite great handicaps, "Germany will soon be ready to break into the markets of the outside world. There will be no stopping her. The skill, energy and determination are there. The dynamic drive for production is everywhere. You get it in the sweat of the steel workers. You get it from the waitress who serves meals in a cafe. Steel production could go

to 16,000,000 tons (instead of 11,000,000). The little girl carrying meals to customers works 10 to 12 hours daily. The plumber in the place where I am staying ( in Munich,' hammered away till 3 o'clock in the morning. Why, I don't know — but he did. I don't say these things are good. All I know is that they happen. All I know is they produce results. "What do the unions say about it in Germany? Have they got unions? They have but whatever they say, the fact remains that this toil is slavery — call it what you like, it goes on. You will be told that the whole of the German economy is false — that she is being propped up by Britain and America. I seem to remember that the British Treasury too has had some arti-. ficial inj ections^ f rom Marshall aid. "Anyway, the Germans remember that after World War I it was the United States who financed their re-equipment, reorganised their factories and laid the foundations of the most modern armament industry in the world. Why not again? Restrictions on the buiding of ocean-going ships have been lifted on vessels up to 7200 tons, at Bonn. The dismantling business has all but ceased. In the air the virtual control of air- ] fields has been handed over to i the Germans. They are not allowed to fly — yet. But for how long?" !