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of the fiscal year 1947-48. More than
75 percent of this total came from
direct taxes on income, property,
sales, and transportation.
One of Germany's most famous
museums, the Mainfraenkische Mu-
seum of Wuerzburg, Bavaria, reopened
Sept. 8 in the Marienberg Fortress,
Wuerzburg. This museum, outstanding
for its collection of medieval art, lost
its buildings and half of its holdings
during the war.
Diamonds, weighing 17,097 carats
and valued at nearly $2,978,758, were
returned to the Netherlands... More
than $1,000,000 worth of money,
jewelry, securities, gold and silver
bullion, and important records, were
returned to Hungary... Unidentified
gold, silver, diamonds, jewlery, and
precious  stones,  looted  by  the
Germans, were turned over to the
PCIRO for financing rehabilitation
activities.
Only a few owners had taken steps
to resume, through designated agents,
the operations and management of
their properties for which Military
Government was relinquishing re-
sponsibility on Jan. 1. The properties
were those in the US Zone owned to
the extent of 51 percent or more by
citizens and residents of United Na-
tions and neutral countries, except
Spain and Portugal.
Wider utilization in German periodi-
cals of articles appearing in American
magazines became possible through
the receipt by Military Government
of a list of 87 US magazines which
had granted blanket clearance for
reprints of their contents.
The poliomyelitis epidemic in Berlin
reached its peak in the third week of
September  with   269  cases  and
18 deaths reported in all sectors
during the week.
Resumption of the minting of Reichs-
mark coins was agreed by the ACA
Finance Directorate on Sept. 23 in
order to relieve the current shortage
of the small-denomination courency.
The additional coinage in 5 and
10 Pfennig denominations was to be
issued against withdrawal and de-
struction of banknotes, thus resulting
iX no increase in money circulation
hI Germany.
Kurt Schumacher, leader of the
Social Democratic Party in Germany,
13 JANUARY 1948
left for the United States in late Sep-
tember for a several-week visit and
speaking tour at the invitation of the
American Federation of Labor.
The over-all index of industrial pro-
duction in the US Zone declined in
September to 48 percent of the 1936,
reflecting the cumulative effects of
Germany's severe drought.
Food imports during September
from the United States for German
civilians in the Bizonal Area consisted
of 453 metric tons of breadgrains and
flour and some 1,500 tons of other
foodstuffs.
Hard coal production in the British
Zone declined during the month,
reaching 239,819 metric tons per day
during the last week. A decline in
men actually working in the mines
was halted late in the month, averag-
ing 254,703 daily during the last week.
October
Q UADRIPARTITE agreement was
reached on the exchange of
public finance data for all four zones.
The first exchange on Oct. 1 included
information on revenues, expenditures,
cash balances, and borrowing at the
Land level.
A program effective Oct. 1 provided
for the release from property control
of all property in the US Zone in
which nationals of the United Nations
or neutral countries, except Spain
and Portugal, have an interest of less
than 51 percent. The procedure for
the appointment of German admin-
istrators was given in the program.
Voluntary submission of an indus-
trial dispute to conciliation and ar-
bitration averted threatened walkouts
involving 25,000 metal workers in
Hesse.
A list of 683 war and surplus in-
dustrial plants was announced by the
Military Governments of the US and
British Zones as available for repar-
ations from the Bizonal Area under
the revised Bizonal Level of Indus-
try Plan. The list included 327 war
and advance delivery plants pre-
viously approved by the ACA Coor-
dinating Committee for reparations
from the Bizonal Area.
The Bremen voters approved Oct. 12
the Land constitution by a majority of
72.6 percent of the total vote, and
chose the first Landtag.
Amendments to the Law for Lib-
eration from National Socialism and
Militarism, approved by the US Mili-
tary Government and effective Oct. 7,
was designed to speed the processing
of cases.
The Bizonal Economic Control Or-
dinances No. 5 for safeguarding the
potato supply and No. 6 to insure the
meat supply were promulgated Oct. 9.
Censorship regulations governing
both internal and international tele-
communications and postal services
applicable to German civilians in the
US Zone were revoked Oct. 15. How-
ever, certain regulations under occu-
pational authority remained in force.
The food-saving campaign in the
United States to help swell shipments
to Europe was stressed in the broad-
casts of the US-controlled radio
stations.
The recruitment of 4,000 displaced
persons of Baltic nationalities was
started by an Australian selection
team in the US Zone for resettlement
in Australia as clerial, farm, build-
ing, and domestic workers.
An Evangelical church congress re-
presenting  the  three  provisional
church governments of the dioceses
of Hesse, Frankfurt, and Nassau, as
well as the 1,400,000 members of the
regional churches of those areas,
voted unanimously to become a single
Land church. Martin Niemoeller was
elected church president.
A uniform system of time changes
in Germany was established Oct. 16
by the ACA Coordinating Committee.
The change to summer time was sche-
duled for the night of the third Sat-
urday in April. The change back to
winter time was set for the night of
the first Saturday in October.
The Evangelical Church of Bavaria
held in Bayreuth late in October its
first Land synod since 1933 and voted
to join the Evangelical Church of Ger-
many.
Because of the harsh and baseless
attacks against the United States, its
policies, and its principles made by
Soviet-sponsored and licensed in-
formation media in Germany, the US
Military Government began on Oct. 28
an educational and informational pro-
gram to explain to the German people
the basic concepts of democracy as
INFORMATION BULLETIN
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