ECONOMIC - AGRICULTURE, FINANCE, TRACTOR PRODUCTION, MAS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600150016-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 15, 2011
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: August 23, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/06/16: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600150016-7
CONTROL/
us OflICIMS ONLY
7,conomic - Agriculture, finance, tractor
COUNTRY Gerna.z Democratic Republic.
SUBJECT
O1 VAS MIT* ASaISS win;. '[,>?io asns... -...~ --- --
% C.. SI a411 it. M "I "go, in 1liaipiINOP 00 TS Rawer M
A"," CORUNTO
Il 16 rwIICTtII Or Edit YaOYiSOSiU lei,' R, if rllr "as to
The MAS were &et up in line with the land reform program of the GDR. Most
of the tools and horse-drawn machines in the GDR were given to new farmers, but
large tools and machines, particularly tractors and threshing machines, became
common property of the Faroers' Mutual Aid Society (VdgB). The machine pools
of'the Junker farms were antiquated, and had been neglected dur".ng the var.
More than 50 different types of tractors were taken over by the local commis-
sions, which meant that the 5l4 MAS stations all had to be provided with ex-,
tensire replacement part supplies. Total investment in 1951 gor MAST was 1133
million L11 (Deutsche masks): and 45.2 million DA for wages and salaries and
for ex.pend$tures in excess of the plan.
It is important for farmers that the fees charged by the NAS have now been
atenda:dlzed. According to the Gesetzblatt der deutschen desokratischen Republik
(Legal Gazette of the GDR), No 149, 1950, fees for needy small-sized farms are
to be lowered by 30 percent and those for needy middle-sirsd terra by 15 percent.
the period when thin reduction will take place is not indicated] At the spe-
cial request of farmers, under favorable circumstances, fees for borrowing as-
ohinery can be paid in }arid.
The State Secretariat for Material Su 'y in the State Planning Comission
ion
must grant the following fuel for the HAS [the period for the fuel allocation
is not indicated, but l9=i1 was penciled in in the ^argt 7; 49,i
diesel fuel, 3,740 tons of motor oil; 150,000 tons of brawn coal briquettes,
8,300 tons of gasoline, and 3,800 tons of petroleum. The German Fuel and Pe-
troleum Center (1M) and the German Trade Center (DSZ) for r,oal are reapon-
sible for scheduled deliveries.
CLASSIFICATION 8- -C-11-3-T
1AYMPIKELU91
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
cratic Republic).
- 1 -
co trae>~fas omciaLs ORLT
cLASSIFICATIOM
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yWMW IMO
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REPORT
Co NO.
DATE OF
INFORMATION 1950 - 1951
DATE DIST. .15 Aug 1952
NO. OF PAGES 5
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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XACRIAR-I,MjW, ,3TATIONS AND TRACTOR DELIVERIES IN THE GDR
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Development of the MS
In 1951, the, were for the first time inclu.ied in the Economic Plan for
the GDR. In 1950, the MAS had an internal plan only.
Although, on 3]. December 1949, the WAS had 524 stations, by 31 December
1950 it had only 514 stations. The ten stations were lost for the following
reasons:
1. Dinsolri:..g of stations whose locations did not warrant their continua-
2. Dissolving of stations because of undetermined ownership of areas and
3. Combining of stations whose work overlapped, in order to ease adminis-
buildings.
The drill machines of the MAS were not utilized to their full extent. How-
ever, since the MAS did not fulfill their drilling contracts, bad planning is
evident.
tag 1950, the number of tractor plows did not increase to the same degree as
tractors, so that by the end of the year no plows were available for about 200
tractors, However, the situation varies in the differentLaeuder. At the end
of 1950, there were more plows than tractors in Brandenburg and aachsen, where-
as in Thueringen, Sachsen-Anhalt, and Mecklenburg the opposite was true. This
proves that the MAS must improve their planning in the distribution of plows.
On the average, 71.9 percent of the tractors were in aperati condition. Dur-
a 51-percent increase, and brought the total number of tractors to 10,834.
No new binders were added during 1951. The 4:383 binders owned by the
HAS at the end of 1951 are not sufficient to meet the farmers' needs. Ninety-
w..
one planned percent or the contracts were fulfilled. A COD91u2t`t3Uic increase is
for 1952.
The number of threshing machines increased to 7,072, or 10'7 percent of
the number at the end of 1949. However, these are small machines.
There was no significant change in. the number of truck trailers. With
only 2,898 trailers on hand, the MAS were unable to give adequate assistance
to farmers in bringing in the root. crol, harvest and in transporting lumber.
Particular difficulties were encountered in Brandenburg and Mecklenburg.
To mechanize the root crop harvest to a greater extent, the HAS must be
b.tter equipped with potato diggers (Kartoffelvorratsroder) and beet lifters.
In 1951, 1,644,000 hectares of middle plowing (mittleres pfluegen) were
done by HAS tractors, an increase of 25 percent o-exr 1950. Performance per
tractor averaged 162 hectares of middle plowing. Field work constituted 64.4
percent of all tractor work, amounting to 1,059x,000 hectares, at compared with
731,000 hectares in 1950.
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Fiele. work done by S sischines, by size of
farms, was as follows:
Farms with less than 5 hectares
i4
Farms with 5 to 10 hectares
56*
Farms with 10 to 20 hectares
11%
153,000 hectares of medium plowing, or 12 percent of the total work load. The
percentage was particularly high in Sachsen-Anhalt, where unfulfilled contracts
it should be mentioned t'nac aezciiaci~- ,;, t, r - + .,.... ta, cicc c..d
entire grain harvest. The average performance for each threshing machine fell
from 0.772 ton per hour in 1950 to 0.720 ton per hour in 1951. Because the
threshing machines are becoming obsolete, only 55 percent of them were in oper-
ating condition.
better advantage, as can be seen from the following percentage increases:
hours: 39 percent; kilometers, 37 percent; tonnage moved, 49 percent. On the
other hand, tonnage moved by trucks increased only 2 percent, whereas hours
and. distances traveled increased by 19 and 16 percent, respectively. This
shows that more empty trips were made during 1951.
The total threshing done (1;556,000 tons) amounted to 26 percent of the
number of stations, has received the fewest new tractors and owns the most old
tractors. These old tractors will have to be exchanged systematically for new
tractors during the coming Year.
There was an insignificant change during 1951 in the hauling done by MAS
tractors for other consumers. However, hauling space during 1951 was used to
Fucl Cunsumptiun
Fuel supply, with a few scattered exceptions, was satisfactory. Of the
diesel fuel consumed, 66 percent was used for field work, 7 percent for thresh-
ing, and 26 percent for transportation. For each hectare of field work, 30.1
kilograms vere consuoei during 1950, and 27.2 kilograms during ;.951. This is
a decrease of 10 percent.
I.sbor Force
On 1 December 1951 there was a shortage of about 500 tractor and truck
drivers. The shortage was particularly great in Brandenburg and Sachsen, but
in lkcklenburg, also, not all tractors were manned. The cause is often the
poor housing situation, the inadequate aanitary installations, etc. Better
compensation for tractor drivers will be necessary.
Of the total work time of tractor drivers, "colum" workers, and seasonal
workers, 14.3 percent was paid in performance wages (i.e., wages deternined?by
the amount of work performed). Bo over-all, valid corns had been set up in 1951.
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Farms with 20 to 50 hectares ll%
Of the agreements signed for field work, the MAS were unable to finish
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When computing the total hours of output, consideration must be taken of the
fact that tractor drivers work in the fields only 120 days a year. However,
in such places as repair shops, performance wages can apply for the entire
year.
Memorandum From Agricultural Planning section of the State
Planning Comsission Regarding Prices and Deliveries of Tractors
in the Five-Year Plan (Berlin, 17 March 1951) -
Upon the orders of Minister Rau, the price per tractor (all types) was
set at sz,(uu mn in 1951,
In 1952, 30.,horsepooei- tractors will cost 12,000 DM and 40-45 horsepower
tractors 14,500 DMI.
Delivery of agr1cultw.ral tractors is scheduled as follows:
1951 - 1955
1951
1952
1222
30 hp
11,900
1,900
2,200
2,500
40-45 hp
20,100
4,000
4,100
4,000
60 hp
3,500
--
--
1,500
Total
35,500
5,900
6,300
8,000
1954 1955
2,500 2,500
4,000 4,000
1,500 500
8,')00 7,000
File Memorandum From Finance Planning, Plan Coordination,
State Planning Commission, oa 1951 Prices or
Tractors (Berlin, 22 January 1951)
According to Mr Terstegen of the Main Administration for Price Folicies,
Ministry of Finance, there is " discrepancy in the average prices for tractors
The finance plan of the VVB IFA (Federation of People-Owned Plante for
Vehicle Parts and Accessories) provides for the following tractors:
No of
Tractors
Price per
Tractor
Total Price
30 hp
1,900
15,563
29,5691.E
40 hp
4,000
18,450
73,840,000
The Invretaent Plan providess for 5,000 tractors at 12,000 DM eat, or a
total of 60 Billion DK.
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This means a k3..-million 1M &t crepaucyr in the atate badget. Even if the
saws number of tractors were used an a is, there still would be a 32.6 mil-
liofi ! discrerAocjt (5,900 units at 12;000 DM each equals 70.8 Million DR;
103.4 m1111on - 74.8 million equal 32.6 million).
Ina discussion with State Secretary Ruzpf, , it was decided tbat the Fn a t-
went Bank vou14 receive thM difference between the actual price aad the prices
provided in the investwmt plan for the state budget.
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