Evening star., 1949-05-07
Communists Defeated
As Western Germans
Establish Regime
All but Final FormuIities
Of Voting Constitution
Completed by Bonn Group
By the Assoeiofed Press

BONN, Germany. May West
ern Germany has said mo" tc
Communist pleas to halt formation
| of its proposed new state.
Her political leaders, meeting
here last night, completed all but
the final formalities of adopting a
West German constitution. They
scheduled the last step of adoption
for tomorrow, the fourth anniver-
sary of Germany's surrender in
World War II and voted to place
government in the hands of an
interim organization until regu.
liar government can be formed In
July.
The constitutional convention
clearly was speeding its work to
beat the Wednesday midnight
deadline for lifting the German
Iblockades under the New York
agreement announced Thursday
by Russia and the Western powers.
Work to Lift Blockades.
The Western occupation powers
want the West German govern
ment to be the one for all Ger
many if there is an eventual un-
ion of the Soviet zone with the
American, British and French
zones.
The developments came as Rus
sia and the Western Allies worked
at top speed to lift their blockades
at midnight Wednesday. The ac-
tual work will be done by German
transportation experts.
The task involves complex tech
nical problems, and the compli-
eating threat of a rail-workers
strike. Employees who live in
Western Berlin but work on Rus
sian-controlled rail lines in the
Eastern sector. threatened to
strike unless they are paid in West
marks. They now receive Soviet
backed East marks. which are
worthless in the Western sector.
Such a strike would cripple
Berlin's elevated lines, as well as
railway traffic into and out OF
Berlin.
Not Permanent Organization.
The interim organization" to
handle governmental details until
formation of the new West Ger
man government was assailed by
Communists. They claimed it
virtually created a new govern
ment without giving the people a
chance to vote on it. The non
Communists pointed out that 1t
will in no sense be a permanent
organization-that an early step
after adoption of the constitu-
ton will be the election OF a
Parliament to take office in July.
The people will elect 400 dele
gates to the Parliament's lower
house or Bundestag. The IL state
Legislatures will choose the MEM
bers of the upper house. or
Bundesrat. Each state will have
at least three members. Some will
have five. depending on popuia-
ton.
In a seven-hour session the con-
vention passed the proposed con-
stitution by a vote OF Al to q
overriding the contention Of Com
munists that plans to lift the
blockade call also for setting UP
an "all-German" government
which would include the Soviet
and Western zones. The non-com-
munist reaction was that Com
munist would try to dominate any
alderman government formed
now.
Is Delegates Abstain.
The two negative votes were
cast by Communists. Fifteen
delegates refrained from voting.
Mostly they were Baverians. who
contend the constitution does not
give their traditionally separatist
area enough local rights.
An official American observer
at the meeting said the constitu-
ton is ..unquestionably fedora
list in character"
1t seeks to include in the West
German republic the Western Sec
(See GERMANY. Page A-21
4