Evening star., 1949-05-08
By Siarid Arne


by a Communist minority, imme-
diately aped Russia by turning
out o plan" But each plan has
been on q limited national basis.
Hungary planned for Hungary,
and so on.
Peculiar Actions
IF the plan is to benefit the
whole area" writes one Govern
ment analyst. sit is difficult to
explain some actions"
He says. for example. that
Czechoslovakia has scrapped tex
tile machinery (although the
whole Soviet bloc needs cloth) at
the same time that Hungary has
been building textile plants.
Since the war, Moscow has per-
mitted the satellites to invest some
81. 900 100000 in industry. But
several nations are building SIM
liar enterprises which, this official
says, are bound to conflict in the
future when surpluses develop"
Danube River traffic. which
Moscow now controls, has dropped
to q tenth of what 1t was when
the Danube was an open Eu-
ropean highway. Each Of the ma
tions on the river has set up o
separate authority to handle traf-
fic. Observers say this is Cum
bersome" and certain to develop
friction.
Moscow's greatest troubles ap-
pear to lie in Yugoslavia. where
political differences between Mar
shall Tito and the Kremlin have
led to economic warfare and re-
elimination.
Yugoslavia's leading Commu-
mist newspaper, Borba, has said
that Moscow radio lied" when 1t
said the Russians sent 100000
tons of wheat to the aid OF Yugo-
slavia in 1944-that it was really
only $4,000 tons. Borba added
that the grain came from Ger
man warehouses filled with grain
stolen from Yugoslavia In the
first place.
Borba also protested the prices
Russia charges Yugoslavia. 1t
said the Yugoslavs had to put up
$40 tons of bauxite aluminium
ore) for one Russian tractor.
One report from Belgrade says
Moscow reneged on a promise to
take Yugoslav money for Yugoslav
students in Moscow and demanded
American dollars. The Yugoslav
government was forced to pay
So 900 900 from its small reserve
of foreign currency, thereby max
ing 1t more difficult for Yugo-
slavia to buy in Western markets.
Yusoslayia's Case
Another YugoSlav protest said
that Russia had been paying
Yugoslavia a price for molyb-
denum (used in steeD that was
Just one-tenth the cost OF pro-
duction.
| Moscow seems to have stopped
shipping industrial machinery to
Yugoslavia and to have with
drawn Russian technicians. This
delay In building Yugoslav indus
try seems to have angered Mar
shall Tito the most. In one speech
he said Moscow intends to Sup
press" his nations industrialiZa-
ton. He said Yugoslavia did not
want to continue a mere raw ma
terial supplier to industrial ma
tions.
Romania appears to be another
picture. There two Moscow
trained Communists hold power,
Premier Petru Groza and Foreign
Minister Ana Pauker.
There are now eight "Sovroms"
Joint Russian Romanian boards
which control national industries.
The latest two, set up early this
year, viii make tractors and fer
tilizers. One government observ-
er points out that both indus
tries have war potentials-tanks
and explosives.
Romania appears to be Rus
sia's choice for q .heavy-industry
area. Moscow has taken several
long-term orders for heavy ma
chinery from the Romanians.
Romania Protests
But there are signs Romania's S
Communist government Is uneasy.
It protests too much officials
| here say. Last December Bu-
charest had q Soviet-Romanian
Industrial exposition. Workers
and school children were given
time OF to see 1t.
Exhibits were arranged 70 show
the relation Of Soviet and Ro-
manian products. Russian raw
cotton lay next TO Romanian
cloth. One United States Gov
ernment observer noted that So
Wet products hogged the display.
Only q sixth of the floor space
was given to Romanian products.
Propaganda during the exhibit
said support cf the Soviet Onion
is the foundation Of our
economic progress" Romanian
press and radio play up the ar
rival Of q single shipload OF Rus
sian goods. but there are no
notices Of what Romanian goods
70 to the EOvietS.
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