Page 6

LAENDER ADVISED TO ADOPT DECREES
Stronger German Action for Collecting Foodstuffs Also Urged at Council
Meeting; Stricter Controls on Use of Production Declared Imperative
In addressing the 20th meeting of
the Laenderrat at Stuttgart 6 May,
Gen. Lucius D. Clay, the Military
Governor, stressed the importance of
deliveries of foodstuffs, utilization of
production, and future of education.
The text of his speech follows.
At this particular time I would like
to congratulate you on the functioning
of  your  Parliamentary  Advisory
Council. It has, as I understand it,
already had three meetings and has
given helpful advice on nine laws
under consideration. It has opened its
meetings to the press, which I am
sure will prove beneficial.
There is a problem which I would
like to bring to the attention of the
Laenderrat and that is the promul-
gation in the several Laender of laws
which have been passed by the
Laenderrat. During the past year you
have adopted 24 laws or decrees.
However, 37 percent of those have
not yet been promulgated by all of
the Laender. One of these, the Law
for the Misuse of Foreign Relief
Supplies, was passed by the Laender-
rat last fall and has not been pro-
mulgated in any of the Laender. I am
sure that the Laenderrat will agree
with me that it will have to place
into effect a follow-up system to see
that these laws are   carried  out
promptly and promulgated in the
Laender. I would like to say on
behalf of Bavaria, which is sometimes
accused of being non-cooperative,
that its record is by far the best of
all the Laender.
Necessity for Cooperation
There are two things that I think
extremely important. I do not want
you to interpret what I am saying as
criticism of the past. I do want you
to interpret it as a pointing out of
the necessity for greater cooperation
than we have yet had.
The first problem, of course, is
related to Germany's first major
problem-food. I am not convinced
nor do I believe you gentlemen
of the Laenderrat are convinced that
the utmost has yet been done in
collecting foodstuffs from the farm.
Take the question of livestock-there
is no question that there is a re-
sistance on the part of the farmer to
deplete his livestock, which means
more to him than money during a
period of inflation. Yet it is difficult
to understand why there is fat,
healthy livestock in such large num-
bers on the farm when you go into
the cities and see the faces of hunger
there. You know as well as I know
that food which should be going to
human beings who need that food is
going to feed livestock.
Goods for Farmer
I think we both recognize that the
availability of consumer goods for
the farmer would go far to help this
problem. Perhaps in each of the Laen-
der you might give consideration to
a program which might help to this
end. Very obviously we do not want
a police state. Nevertheless, a state
cannot be stronger than its ability to
see that its own laws are executed.
It seems to me that the strengthening
of your administrative machinery for
the collection and distribution of food
is one of the most important problems
before you. I think, also, that it is
extremely important that you make
a last-minute drive to get the maximum
spring planting and the maximum
amount of home gardening started
during the next month.
In connection with this problem, I
want to reiterate that food is still a
world problem today and with all
of the goodwill in the world we
are still having great difficulty in
buying the food that is necessary to
meet our commitments here. We are
having to compete in our bidding for
such food against other countries who
were our Allies during the war and
who now hive an even lower ration
scale than in Germany. In spite of
that, I am confident that we shall
meet our commitments in grain. We
are also trying very hard to buy fat.
in the world market, although I must
admit that we have not yet succeeded.
There is another related problem
which I would like to bring to your
attention and that is the problem in-
volved in the misuse of production.
I realize again that in periods of rigid
price control it is very difficult to
get the manufacturer into the free
market. Nevertheless, we know and-
you know that a very large number
of manufacturers is utilizing a portion
of their production to keep their labor
or to obtain greater prices through
illegal distribution than is possible
under the controlled prices which
govern the normal distribution. This
results in inequitable distribution and
uneven utilization of resources to
help a privileged few and breaks
down the entire structure.
I urge   you  to   establish  ad-
ministrative controls which will en-
able the closing of such plants and
to make sure that the production
which does come out of such plants
is distributed for the benefit of all
the German people. Above all, I urge
you to work together and not to say
that this is the fault of each other,
of the bizonal agencies, of the non-
cooperation of the several Laender,
or of the requirements of Military
Government. There is a way out of
your present economic conditions
and the more you cooperate the
quicker you will find that way.
Liberalization of Education
I want to repeat that I have not
said this is criticism. I know that
the problems involved are complicat-
ed and difficult of solution. It is
the desire of Military Government to
help and cooperate with you in this
field in every way it possibly can.
Finally, my last subject is one that
is as much a Land as a Laenderrat
subject. Having had a reason earlier
to express my satisfaction and pride
in Bavaria, this time I am afraid I am
going to be a little bit the other way
in respect to Bavaria. We had asked
and received from each of the Laen-
der their proposals for the liber-
(Continued on Page 16)
WEEKLY INFORMATION BULLETIN
6
19 MAY 1947