Evening star., 1945-11-04


left uneasy people still struggling with
the woes of economic chaos, social unrest
and political upheavals which have
slowed down return Of stability, delayed
reconstruction and retarded realization
of the four freedoms.
From the capitals of continent scared
by the passions of six years oppression
and SCARED by the passage of war.
Associated Press correspondents pieced
together an overall picture of the prog
ress-and the lack of it-toward full
bellies and happy minds.
What achievements have been realized
in rebuilding bleak and bomb-cratered
cities? What has been done to settle
the provocative problems of boundary
disputes? How Jared the press newly up
from the underground? What were the
people doing and sayingP
The answers added up to an account
of widespread suffering with little hope
of wholesale relief before winters end
There were bright spots such as in Bel
gium where liberation brought speedy
application of reconstruction plans.
But there also were black areas where
the menace of starvation remained a
day-by -daMreality, where freedom from
want and freedom of expression were the
prerogatives of newborn. governments
graphing with the task of consolidating
their authority And there were blank
spots such as those in the Balkans
screened of by restrictive censorship
and barriers against outside" newsmen
Result of Survey.
Associated Press correspondents, many
of whom jeeped their way across the
continent with the advancing armies
from D day to v day, reached these
general conclusions in their survey:
Living Conditions - Much improved
over a year ago in Western Europe,
although the people will be cold through
lack of fuel and many commodities will
remain on ration, marginal at best in
Central Europe, dangerous in parts of
Italy, the Balkans, Germany Austria,
Finland and Poland; substantially better
in Russia.
Economic Recovery - This has been
handicapped by lack of transpor-
tation, materials and manpower. But
several Of the Western Allied powers,
with an eye to next year, have con-
cluded new trade agreements. In Rus
fore the war ended. In the former Axis
countries little progress has been made
with the future dependent upon the
extent to which industrial reparations
are exacted and the amount and type
of manufacturing permitted-a still un-
settled policy.
Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
This is perhaps best measured by the
fact that even in Britain, never in
vaded, little has been done beyond
superficial repairs of rooftops and re-
moyal of brick walls protecting win
dows from bomb blast. Upon the con-
tinent, whole cities remain clogged with
rubble and paralyzed by lack of utili-
ties, with estimates of the time neces-
sary for their restoration ranging up to
more than two decades.
Social Progress-Sweeping programs
of so-called land reforms" have been
instituted where Russian influence is
powerful-the Balkans, Poland and
Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet zone
of occupation in Germany. 1t is still
too early to measure accurately the
effect of lapd redistribution in i'm
proving the long-range lot of the peas
ant class. In Western Europe the lamps
of education are burning again, dimly
as yet for it has been hard task to
find teachers and books free from Nazi
influence after five years of occupation
tion.
Europeans are still marching. Thou
sands upon thousands are attempting
to get home from concentration camps
and slave labor centers. Millions more
are being forced to move on as Czecho-
slovakia purges herself of her prewar
German minority and as Poland takes
over big chunk of Prussia.
Boundary Disputes-Grave concern is
being voiced throughout Europe over
postponement of the job of remaking
the map of the continent. Core
spondents in half dozen capitals list
ed quick settlement of the problem as
essential to help eliminate national
suspicious and political intrigue and to
get the continent on a good d-neighbor
basis.
Freedom Of Information-Here, at
least, lip service has been paid by the
vast ma ioritv 0f ElYrorooo cfotocpooy, IN