FRENCH OCCUPATION ZONE PROFITABLE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5285, 23 December 1946, Page 5

FRENCH OCCUPATION ZONE PROFITABLE

Area Must Support Troops And Inhabitants LONDON, Dec. 21. The correspondent of The Times, revxewing conditions in the French zone of Germany, says the French. have achieved the remarkable feat of running their zone at a slight profit. The French taxpayer is mueh less complaisant than the British, and would never tolerate spending money on the Germans. French policy is to insist upon exports and make them pay for expenditure. Fortunately for the French, their zone suffered little war damage and does not have to accommodate large numbers of displaced persons. It also has few large towns, and, as a result, the French have some pros- t peet of success when they insist that the countryside must support those who live on it. Rations have frequently fallen below 1000 calorjes daily, but in general that figure is maintained. French officials blame the German administration for the failure to increase local production, hut the Germans assert that the French remove far more food, and particularly cattle than is ever shown in official statistics. The French control their zone very tightly and insist it must support occupying troops and officials, as well as native German inhabitants. At present there are roughly 18 French officials for every 10,000 Germans in the territory compai*ed with 10 per 10,000 in the British zone and three per 10,000 in the American zone. In spite of hunger and poverty, hpwever, the German attitude to the French is less hostile than might he expected, Though most Germans* will not admit it, most of them know what the Germans did in France and do not expect sympathy. On the eontrary, they understand firm government and they are getting it.