Sta,—As a trade union official who was one of the
6o Members of Parliament who had the privilege of visiting Austria in the party which included Kenneth Lindsay, M.P., who contributed your article, " Austria and Britain," I welcome his reference to the vacuum created by the Nazis, the war de-Nazification, and now accentuated by Zonal occupation and Russian methods. Again and again we were confronted with the problems arising from the bitter experiences of her people and, without belittling the work done by the Control Commission, we were forced to the con- clusion that, whilst much has been taken away, little has been done to replace it. Austria wishes to turn West. The November elections prove this, even if I were to ignore the contacts I made and the pleas and entreaties rendered in many quarters. Federal and Provincial Government, law, medicine, schools and even trade unions all suffer from tremen- dous handicaps. A people torn in conflict by civil strife, with its cream skimmed off by the Nazis, ravaged by war, and further mutilated by the essential requirements of de-Nazification lies prostrate, and in urgent need of all that democracy can contribute. The services now being given by the Control Commission and U.N.R.R.A. are of inestimable value—they mark a step forward from those given after the 1914-18 mar—but these, as Kenneth Lindsay points out, are diminishing assets. The British Council is there, but it is but touching the fringe of a problem which cries out for men of goodwill and capacity who are prepared to dedicate themselves not only to the application of the ointment and bandages, but to the real job of bringing this people through their present struggle with the minimum suffering, in order that they may speedily make their contribu- tion to peace and the general well-being. The article on Austria was timely, it was moderate in its expression, and Kenneth Lindsay's sugges- tion of a committee is worthy of serious and thoughtful consideration. Of this I am convinced—there are men and women capable of such a task, and there are many in Austria who pray that aid will be forthcoming
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