Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-02-01
WNU Service, 1916 Eye street, N. W,
Washington D. C.

Washington d. G.
NUREMBERG, GERMANY.-One
German who otherwise gets along
very well with the American occu-
patton officials and is thoroughly in
sympathy with what is going on in
the Nuremberg court house will
nevertheless be one of the happiest
men in Germany when the trials
are over. He is little black-haired,
bespectacled man named Hans
Ziegler, Oberbuergermeister of the
city. The best translation for his
title Is plain mayor" but because
all German cities have at least one
deputy mayor, some Of the Amer
lean writers who have seen service
in London translate "Oberbuerger-
.meister" as Lord Mayor"
Herr Ziegler says frankly that his
work will be easier when the huge
organization required to support the
international military tribunal has
folded its tents and departed. When
he told me this I was rather surprised
since at first blush it might seem that
the city would benefit from all this
American activity. However, when
one considers that what the Ameri-
cans here buy with the Germans own
money 1--WE print it and they have
to redeem it) the profits can hard
ly seem desirable. The central Ger
man government, when there is one,
will eventually redeem the paper
marks but all Germans will have
to contribute in the form of taxes.
In Nuremberg although as I said,
the city budget had been cut so per
cent, the taxes have already been
increased 1914 per cent.
Military Tribunal
Imposes Burden
The chief burden which the mill
tary tribunal imposes on the town
and the one which presses down
hard on the mayor, derives from
the fact that it takes a lot of tons,
volts and rhanpower to keep the
wheels of justice moving.
Coal is Nuernberg's Gas it is Ger
many's) chief problem. What the
Russians didn't get out in their
zone, the chief coal areas in Ger
many, the French have taken in
theirs. Transportation has broken
down. Without fuel to heat their
homes or to cook with, Nuernber-
gers have bought up every sort of
electrical heater and cooker and this
plus the large amount Of power used
by the Americans has put ter
rife drain not only on the power
plants but the cables. It takes coal
to make electricity here where
there are no tumbling cataracts. As
I write the snow is falling in great
Christmas card flakes and even the
ruined houses are assuming a touch
of beauty. But that beauty is of lit
tie comfort to people living in eel
lars or rooms without roofs.
. Half of Nuernberg's houses were
destroyed, the mayor told me, a
third partly demolished. The rest
can be made ivable. But alas, the
military tribunal took over one-third
Of the labor available for building
and repair and a large stock of
materials.
A two hour walk through the city
revealed no shops open except few
food and meat stores. In spite of
this almost total eclipse of visible
industrial existence l was surprised
that the mayor placed first on
his list of detectives, a restoration
of Nuernberg's long established
reputation for expert craftsmanship
for goods of high quality. Toys,
of course, but also precision instru-
ments, light machinery and pot
terry.
"We cannot restore Nuernberg's
beauty, its historical buildings
which brought so many tourists
here" said Mayor Ziegler, but we
can win back our reputation as
hard workers and fine workers. The
city has long established record
for industriousness and expert handi-
craft as producers of high quality
goods. That reputation goes back to
the middle ages. OF course we will
have to be very patient. We must
first rehabilitate our city, then we
must wait for good raw materials
which we must have to produce high
quality products. And of course all
this must wait until Germany is
once more permitted to trade in
world markets."
But, interjected at this point,
what about the food situation? That
wasn't in the mayors province. He
took the view which later proved
sound enough, that America would
not let the Germans starve: If that