Evening star., 1948-09-19
Austria Makes
Some Progress
Begins to Emerge From
Wartime Period
of Shortages
By TroudI WieIitzky

VIENNA Austria is beginning to
emerge from its long period of war
time shortages.
Several factors have combined to
delay economic recovery far longer
than could have been expected In
lie spring of 1915.
Long-term occupation has bur-
c!ened the population with financial
Obligations and has handicapped
Auslria's economic recovery by the
seizure of several important produc-
ion centers. :
Bad weather has caused severe
jllortages in Austria's energy supply
and poor harvests have neld down
domestic food supplies. !
Initiation Prevented
Crises in the world economy ma
be considered a third reason-po-
ljtical and economic disturbances
have proved to be far more serious
t,lan expected, and have caused
series OF unpleasant results for Aus
'lian economic life.
Hot only production has remained
: hind the expected figures. Eco
Ionic politics came to a deadlock
as well. Critics may we'll point out
tiiat no constructive measures have
been taken on any of the vital issues
such as labor market, prices and
WAGES, taxes and foreign trade reg
ulatlons.
The only SUCCESS so far has been
the prevention of actual imitation.
The casual observer may even have
the impression that the wartime
economy has not been changed In
principle. We will find that, on the
contrary, practical enaGtion OF the
two chief measures. rationing and
price control, have remained behind
expectations.
Some of these shortcomings may
be excused by the fact that it is
easier for a dictatorship to enforce
such measures by means of IRON
clad laws and strong propaganda
than it is for democracy. Still, as
long as acute shortage and need
continued old measures had to be
carried on in spite of their po-
litical drawbacks.
Gray Market Proposed
AS soon as even a slight recovery
is felt. the populatio is less willing
to put up with such wartime meas
ures and tries to return to pre-
war standard without restrictions OF
any kind.
At present Austria seems to have
reached this stage, and economic
quarters within the Peoples Party
(the right-wing Catholic Peasants
Party) have started a campaign for
gray market" This drive is
strongly opposed by the Socialist
Party.
The gray market" as proposed
by the peoples party, would mean
legaliza ton of off ration sales OF
food besides the normal rationed
market This, the peoples party
asserts, would bring down black
market prices by eliminating the
risk of of-ration sales and thus
make food available to workers who
so far have not been able to buy on
the black market.
Housewives Vote on Plan
On the other hand this second
market would enable the farmers
to sell their superf1uous products
for better prices than they get for
their must deliveries" thus stimu-
lating agricultural production.
In a one-week's vote the peoples
party asked Austrian housewives to
enter their names at their grocers'
if they favored the gray market,
The vote has been taken in Vienna,
but no announcement has been
made of the results. So far women
in the provinces have not voted.
The socialist party, charging that
such a vote is illegal and the results
could be misleading, claims that
this economic policy would lead
to nothing but chaos. 1t asserts
that only q government guided
economy will be able to assure just
distribution Of Austria's food sup
ply.
distributed by the Associated Press)