Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-08

for survival and rehapllitatlon, Tn
national slogan. 1t is sisu pro
nounced see-sue).
Sisu, say the Firms, means intesti-
nal fortitude courage to con-
tinue the fight no matter how hope
less the odds -. stubbornness and
perseverance endurance
granite-hard determination.
The Firms are proud of their sisu.
It was one of the first words I heard
as I stepped off the train from Len
ingrad. And one of the first things
7 was handed by the attractive
efficient secretary OF the govern
ment press bureau here was an
illustrated pamphlet gotten out to
spur the "Sisu Campaign"
Preparations Cited
Oil Kaila, 29-year-old veteran
who was wounded six times in six
years of fighting and is now work
ing as secretary to the Foreign Min
lister, gives the postwar definition
Saws Kaila: "Sisu means sticking
to a task and finishing it, no matter
how hard-like reparations."
The tight. tough delivery sched-
ule of war reparations to Russia
make them, as one foreign econo-
mist said, IAN omnipresent pressure
factor in Finnish economic life.
In 1s46 reparations took Is per cent
of Finland's total Industrial produc-
ton. In 1s47s reparations will take
II per cent of the national income
(The highest percentage reparations
have ever taken was 16 per cent OF
the 1945 national income.)
The million gold-dollar repa-
rations burden is pretty stiff load
for a country the size Of the State
of Montana with only 1000, 0o0o
people.
But already in two years the
Firms have Topped off 100000, 900
or a. third of the total. They have
six years more to pay the other
two-thirds.
Can and Will Pay
They do some grunbling, OF
course, but it's not nearly so loud,
according to local observers, as 1t
was a year ago.
One businessman, a Social Demo-
crat. put it: 1--WE can do it all right;
we will pay-pay it all. But it's not
very nice
Lauri Kivinen, president Of the
Preparations Commission, remarked:
"It is technically quite possible to
fulfill 1t (the reparations agree
ment) by 1s52-if only the Bank of
Finland can finance it."
Said Ilomari Harki, who sits on
the commission with Kivinen: Il
want you to understand clearly that
we are paying our war PREPARATIONS
but reluctantly"
Two thirds of the 1947 repara-
lions schedule is in machinery and
ships and the other third in wood
products. This is the approximate
proportion for all eight years OF the
reparations program.
The wood part is easy. Wood is
one of Finland's key industries. But
Finland never manufactured much
machinery or built many ships be-
fore 1899. The Films thus have had
to build shipyards and machine fac
tories. They have had to import
machines from abroad to turn over
to the Russians.
Slow Deliveries Hurt
According to Commission Presi-
dent Kivinen,s to date 80 per cent
of this country's delay in meeting
its reparations schedule has been
due to slow deliveries from abroad
And delays mean penalties.
1--WE have more pounds than dol
lars or other foreign currencies, SO
we have had to order mostly in
England" Kivinen said. And, I'M
fortunately, England in its present
plight has been very slow. America
has been best of ALL
To illustrate how Russia penal
ICES. Kivinen said: "If only two out
Of 200 machines are delayed the
Russians list the whole factory as
being late and refuse to count it
against the reparations total until
all the machines are in"
The 300,00o,000 gold dollars is
not the only PREPARATIONS burden
the Firms are paying. One Finnish
financial authority told me that the
Russians were always putting some
new wrinkles into the reparations
agreement. I'VE don't know how
much it will actually amount to in
the long run" he said.
Russia Eased Up
According to Kivinen the Firms
lowe 5000 100000 Finnish marks to
Germany for war supplies and have
had to agree to pay Russia this
whole amount in 1e47 and 1913.
This s45 900, 900 in two years is over
and above the regular reparations
schedule of 30o,000000 gold dol
lars. Our third big reparations item,
the East Karelia Restitution, was
completed last year"
The East Karelia. Restitution"
was an obligation incurred in con-
nection with the loss to Russia of
the rich agricultural province of
Kareia. The loss of Karelia, Pet
Tucker
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