Show Austria Expense U. U S. S Pays Bill For British Russ French By Geor George e VIENNA Austria When if ever you as an American taxpayer taxpayer taxpayer tax tax- payer get a chance to look at your bill for holding holding Austria a alight alight alight light like an atomic bomb may dazzle azzle your brain No its it's not the size of the bill Its It's the items on it that are fantastic You have been paying for the upkeep of the American forces in Austria though the peace treaties do not oblige you to do o so All right I like and want to help Austria you say Wait Vait Here arc are some more items rn Paying In for Others No You 1 You 1 You arc are paying for forthe forthe forthe the British forces here No You 2 You 2 You arc are paying for forthe forthe forthe the French upkeep here No You 3 You 3 You at are paying for forthe forthe forthe the Russian army here No In 4 In 4 In the case of the Russians you are arc paying for forthe forthe forthe the starred red-starred army not once but twice Your Soviet bill is half again more than the other two Austria is an invaluable bridgehead to the west weaker but more necessary than Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Czecho Czecho- slovakia to the Communist east To keep its economy alive you the American taxpayer spend 4 million a weck One of the rca reasons ons is that you are acting as host for three armies none of them your our own Live Off Econom Economy The American army pays its own bills for its Austrian household The British French and Russian armies live off the Austrian economy And the Austrian economy lives off the American taxpayer The Russians un under er the smartest little blackmail system system system tem west of the iron curtain collect everything with an extra dividend They can do this largely because because because be be- cause as usual in negotiations the Soviets have adopted a demanding demanding demanding de de- de- de manding attitude Sometimes one of the western generals will try to introduce the idea of occupation costs But Co Col Gen L. L V. V shies away If you start pinning pinning pinning pin pin- ning down where American aid going into Austria is going the Russian racket of extra collection collection tion for extra troops sticks up like a mountain Seek to tie Hogtie Nearly three years ago a low- low level committee struggled to hogtie tie occupation costs into a fixed formula to include e wages of soldiers and Austrian workers rentals for premises and goods supplied by Austria But when the power four-power board tried to outlaw special Soviet charges for running Russian business enterprises transport and administration the board itself disappeared in a puff of polemics So now the four generals have given up arguing why the U. U to S.-to-Austria money is being collected They just bargain about the amount Lt Gen Geoffrey Keyes the American holds out for the lowest amount possible usually around 8 of the Austrian budget Col Gen wants 12 Or so The Briton Lt Gen Alexander Galloway and the Frenchman Lt Gen M. M E. E usually hover around 9 Last year they compromised on o. o For 1949 they may go down another point Chicago Daily Dally News Service |