Evening star., 1938-12-21
Dr.. Funk Is Granted
Broad Powers Over
Germany's Industry
Named to Solve FOREIGN
Exchange Situation
By Output Spur
BY WALLACE r. DEUEL..

BY WALLACE r. DEUEL..
Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
BERLIN, Dec. 21.-The fourth DO.
litical appointee to be given sweep
ing powers over German industry
within a month, DR.. Walter Funk,
already Reich minister of econom-
les, today was named special COM
missioner for increasing produc-
ton in the Reich and was author
lied to take all measures necessary to
this end.
DR.. Funk'S new powers were con-
ferred on him by Field Marshal Her
mann Goering as commissioner for
the four-year plan and are de-
scribed as providing for a "cen-
tralization of naturalization" in
German industry.
(The appointment of DR.. Funk
was linked with Germany's seri-
GUS foreign exchange situation
in Associated Press reports from
Berlin. During the first IL
months of 1888 Germany had an
import excess of 205 100000
marks ($82 100000. Hating of
this drain on foreign exchange
reserves is expected to be DR..
Funk's main task.
Berlin business men say DR..
Funk will try so to coordinate
German industrial processes that
a minimum of imported raw ma
terials will be required. Use Of
substitute materials, standardiz-
ing of types and replacement of
hand processes by machines are
expected to be early results. For
the workers there is talk of a 10
hour day.
Nazi control Of industry has been
close from the start, but it has been
frightened up even more dras-
tically during the last month as the
stresses and strains to which the
regimes policies have subjected the
national economy have made them
selves felt with increasing severity.
Automotive Chief Named.
Field Marshal Goering appointed
Col. Won Schell of the general staff
Just a month ago general plenipo-
tentiary" for the German automo-
tive industry, with full powers ito
promote and consolidate all neces-
sary measures for production. i'm
provement Of organization, extreme
limitation of types and the most far
reaching Standardization possible,
as we'll as for unified direction Of
all state, party and economic au-
thorities participating in motor
transport" COL Won Schell had been
in charge of the motorization Of the
army.
DR.. Funk himself followed this
by naming DR.. Karl Lange, gen
eral plenipotentiary" for the entire
German machine industry. Lange
was a member of the governing
board of the Nazi national organi-
zation of all machine manufacturing
companies in the Reich. He now
has been given full power to regulate
the industry, with special view to
naturalization. deciding which COM
panies are to be allowed to produce
which types and parts of machines,
and controlling labor in the industry.
Third Gar Appointed.
A day later, third political car
was named: Marshal Goering ap.
pointed DR.. Fritz Todt, chief en-
gineer of the Reich's super -high-
ways and of new fortifcations along
Germany's western frontiers. gen
eral plenipotentiary" in charge Of
all building activity in the country.
with authority to regulate access
to raw materials, labor, and all
other phases of construction.
A certain amount Of confusion
seems to have resulted from these
and other political appointmnts, and
today's naming of D. Funk appar-
emily is intended to "rationalize
the rationaizers' and "co-ordinate
the co-ordinators.
(copyrisht. 1888. by the Chicago Daily
News, Inc)