Evening star., 1955-03-07
Recovery in West Germany
Merchant Princes of Hamburg
Shun Politics in Economic Push
Won't Let Emotions Over Reunfieution
Of Nation Interfere With Trade Buildup


rizing about political issues. Far
more often, the issues themselves
are reduced to facts and figures,
as hard and realistic as the
graph on the office wall.
When they discuss German re-
unification, for instance, these
people waste very little breath
on emotional talk about liberat-
ing their German brothers be-
hind the Iron Curtain. On the
other hand they point out that,
before the war, 40 per cent of all
of Hamburg's trade came from
the East and that today, while
most West European harbors
have more than doubled their
prewar traffic, this one time
Port of Prague is running at
only IS per cent capacity.
Being realists, they have few
illusions about the possibility of
soon lifting the trade barrier
that hits the Elbe River just 20
miles southeast of the city of
Lauenburg. Instead. they have
concentrated on improving road
and rail transport throughout
the area and in developing new
markets overseas to make up for
the loss of Hamburg's natural
hinterland.
Nevertheless. the simple fact
that Hamburg business suffers
badly from the artificial frontier
which has been forced upon it,
Stirs UP a powerful interest IN
the talk of reunification. 1t is
an interest which has little to
do with nationalism as such
but which would guarantee the
support of Hamburg business
men for any practical plan tor
reuniting the country. And in
the meantime, you are told, any,
thing that could be done to
loosen up the barriers on East
West trade would be welcome.
When it comes to the question
OF German rearmament, these
same economic considerations
make for an attitude of dubious
pessimism about where it will all
lead. Here again. it is not scare
talk about the possibility Of
starting a new war or a revival
of German militarism SO much
as how much it will cost. And
even those who admit the un-
avoidable obligation of Germany
to share the Western defense
burden are nervous on this score.
Businessmen Are Proud.
Leading businessman every
where are proud of the recovery
that Germany has made since
the war. And more than any,
thing else, they believe this
success resulted from the free
dom that business has had to
develop through private initia-
tive, free from government re-
strictions and controls.
/ There is frank skepticism that
this same freedom will exist in
a rearmed Germany, where a
certain amount of government
planning and "priorities" seem
almost inevitable.
Considering the size of the
proposed German armamert ef-
fort, this might sound a little
far fetched if measured by
American standards. German
businessmen. however, argue that
even a limited program, if i'm
posed too suddenly on the econ
omy. would throw it out of kilter.
What they fear most is an i'm
mediate heavy demand for labor
and raw materials at a time
when many workers are being
recruited into the armed forces.
The result, they say. would be
the revival of rationing and con-
trolls which could upset the bal
ance of supply and demand.
Favor High Standard.
Once again, you run into the
argument that economic sacri-
flee is not what is called for in
Germany. What is the sense,
(See MOVES, Page A-6.)