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Military government weekly information bulletin
Number 97 (June 1947)
Food situation improves, p. 9
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Page 9
FOOD SITUATION IMPROVES IN GERMANY Collections are Better and May Imports Meet Quota, Military Governor Tells Laenderrat; Bizonal Economic Council Explained The new bizonal Economic Council and the food situation were discussed by General Lucius D. Clay, the Mili- tary Governor, with the Laenderrat at its meeting 3 June in Stuttgart. The text of his speech follows. Last week I sent by special messen- ger to the ministers-president a copy of an agreement for the further in- tegration of the American and British Zones worked out by the American and British Military Governments. With some minor modifications in the document as you saw it, it has been approved and is now an agreement between the British and American Military Governments. As you know, both you and our- selves have been conscious of the difficulty in obtaining economic in- tegration without political integra- tion. Nevertheless, we have not been willing to unify the American and British Zones politically in the fear that it might be harmful to the early unification of Germany as a whole. Thus, the agreement which we have reached still does not provide for po- litical unification of the American and British Zones. On the other hand, within the field of economics, and under strictly defined powers, it does provide an arrangement where the views of the German people can be given to the American and British Military Governments on the econo- mic policies to be followed by the two governments. Elected by Landtage There is established an Economic Council which is composed of repre- sentatives elected by the Landtage of the several Laender on the basis of one representative to each 750,000 persons, with a minimum, of course, of one representative from each Land of lesser population. To the extent possible within each Land the repre- sentatives of the Economic Council will be proportioned to the political party strength at the last election. The Economic Council will 'be charged with the enactment of policies and ordinances within the field of econo- mics, subject, of course, to the appro- val of the British and American Mili- tary Governments. In addition to the Economic Council and to assure co-ordination among the bizonal economic agencies there is also established an executive com- mittee. This executive committee will be composed of one representative from each of the Laender. It will' nominate the heads of the executive agencies for confirmation by the Eco- nomic Council. It will be authorized to issue implementing regulations under the policies and laws of the Economic Council. It will sit con- tinuously and will be responsible' for the coordination and supervision of the several economic agencies. As an executive agency it must operate under the policies and or- dinances of the Economic Council. However, it is not subordinate to the Economic Council and it is charged with co-ordination and supervision of economic agencies -in its own right. There will, of course, be reporting to this executive committee, the execu- tive directors of the several econo- mic agencies whose duties and func- tions will be roughly comparable to that of state secretaries. The law will become effective on the tenth of June in the hope that both the tconomic Council -and the executive committee will be selected by the Laender and will be ready to work without delay. I know that you may ask yourselves what the effect of this law will be on the Laenderrat. As you know many of these functions have been transferred by your own legislation to the existing executive committees. Moreover, the Economic Council is not a political body and its powers- are limited. The Laenderrat, on the other hand, is a political body and subject to the approval of Military Government. Its activities cover the full range of gov- ernment. The Laenderrat has been a most effective organization since the day it was formed and it has been particularly helpful to Military Gov- ernment in presenting the views of the German people. In a personal way it has been most helpful to me in helping me in the discharge of my responsibilities. I hope that you will agree with me, therefore, that it is most desirable for the Laenderrat to continue in the remaining fields of government until Germany's political unification. That includes the continuance of our monthly meetings. I would now like to say just a few words on the subject of food. First, I would like to congratulate the Ministers President on the improve- ments which have been made in the methods of collecting the food. These methods, if continued and improved as I am sure you will continue and improve them, will do much to better the collection record from the coming harvests. The results to date, par- ticularly in meat collections in Ba- varia, have been excellent. Imports meet Quota At our last meeting of the Laender- rat I think I told you that you were at a low ebb in -food stocks; that the food situation would get no worse and would slowly improve. I know that it is dangerous to talk in generalities with respect to food, particularly with a low stock position, as - call-ups against- the ration will vary from lo-' cality to locality. However, I am certainly under the impression that the call-ups against the ration are improving in many localities and the arrival of imports is constantly in- creasing. We had promised an import pro- gram of over 300,000 tons of flour- equivalent for May. During the month we attempted urgently to get the con- sent of other countries for the tem- porary divergence of ships where the stock position of the other countries (Continued on page 22) 16 JUNE 1947 WEEKLY INFORMATION BULLETIN 9
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