Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-31
Reich Workers Given
Share in Operation Of
Red Zone Industries
BY RICHARD KAsISCHKE.

Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
BERLIN, Dec. Sherman pro.
vincial and Russian military gov.
eminent officials say industrial pro.
duction in Soviet-occupied Ger.
many is being spurred by workers
councils which are given a share
in running industries.
The first American correspond.
ents to tour the zone saw one O,
these councils functioning at thu
Rlebeckesche Montanwerke Cmin.
ing works. in Weissenfels, one Of
the largest coal mines in Saxony
Province.
This enterprise is run by board
of two directors and three workers
representatives elected from the
mines and factories.
The plant they operate includes
one pit mine, three surface mines
two power plants, two plants for dis
tilling brown coal into tar and II
factories for making brown coal into
fuel blocks. The plant suffered
little war damage.
Gross coal diggings for October
were announced as 469,896 metric
tons (517,825 short tons, which is
about "a per cent of the production
IN the same month in 1898.
Model for Other Mines.
Both Russian military and Ger
man provincial officials give much
credit for this quick comeback to
the Workers Council, which has a
say in production methods as well as
responsibility for employees welfare
The Reibeckesche mine was de-
scrlbed by the officials as model
Tor operating other mines in this
area. Most of the stock was owned
by the Rheinstahl Co., which OBJ
tanned its controlling interest from
I. G. Farben. Since the Rheinstah]
bosses are in Western Germany and
out of contact with the plant here
the board of directors has been
superseded by two directors named
by the provincial government.
These directors are Heinz Rudert
and Assistant Director DR.. Max
Schwahn. Rudert, who has been
with the company since 1889. sue
ceeded Director Fritz Koenig, who
was arrested by Russian occupation
authorities on undisclosed charges.
The directors attend daily meet
ings with the workers council. whose
members are Ernst Boetterer, for SO
years pit miner; Otto Kiersch, a
miner at IA who now works in a
factory, and Fritz Lasch, another
former pit miner Is years with the
company. All three said they were
Communist Party members. The
directors said they belonged to no
political party.
Company Also Sells Power.
There are workers councils In
each factory and mine in this enter
prise. The total membership of los
IN these councils chose the top
council of three.
Railroads, industries, some small
businesses and hospitals are receiv-
ing the coal output. The Red Army
receives some for heating billets and
offices. Power is also sold by the
company.
The enterprises employ $3.50 per-
sons, Of whom 2,l50 are miners.
They work six-day, 48-hour week
and are 100 per cent unionized.
In the Rehabilitation program SO
men were taken from executive jobs
and some were sent into the mines.
Some nominal party members were
permitted to keep their jobs, while
the more active Nazis among the
miners were fired.
Rudert said there was no decision
yet on disposition of company
profits, but it may be decided in
March at the end of the fiscal year
whether profits will go to the gov
eminent or to the known sharehold-
ers.