Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎8v] (16/978)

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Opposition nevertheless absented them
selves when voting took place on the ques
tion of urgency, and the necessary two-
thirds majority was consequently obtained.
Violent interruptions greeted M. Mateovics
of the Democratic People’s Party when he
protested against the exclusion of peasants
from the Tribunals and the unconscien-
tious manner in which the Bill was being
rushed through Parliament.
Previous experience of Courts dealing
with similar crimes will be required from
the Presiding Judge who is to be assisted
by five other workers. Expert opinion must
be heard before a decision is reached, but
the tribunal is empowered to pass the death
sentence and no appeal for clemency will
be allowed unless there is a retrial. The
leniency of professional judges to specu
lators, it is alleged, necessitates their
replacement by workers.
A dual price system for bread is to be
introduced as a means of protecting the
poorer classes against hardship. In this
way those earning less than 1,500 forints
a month, together with certain small
traders and artisans, will be enabled to buy
at the old price, while all others will have
to pay at the rate of 10 forints per kilo
gram. Since families are to be treated as
units each member will be deemed to belong
to the higher income group if the monthly
earnings of one exceed 1,500 forints.
The Communist Party has decided that
those of its Deputies who are not solely
dependent on their Parliamentary salaries
must relinquish one or other source of
revenue for the Party’s benefit.
M. Ban’s appointment as Deputy to M.
Szakasits will be followed by his resigna
tion from the Ministry of Industry. The
two other assistants of M. Szakasits are
M. Pies, who may be expected to find little
time to spare from his duties as Minister
of Justice, and the somewhat juvenile and
vociferous M. Marosan who stands well to
the Left.
Hungarian newspapers report that the
Public Prosecutor of the Budapest People’s
Court is about to request the suspension of
M. Pfeiffer’s Parliamentary immunity as
a preliminary to his arrest on a charge of
having colluded with M. Arany during
1946 in issuing a false document with the
purpose of suppressing judicial proceed
ings against a former member of the S.S.
Hunyadi Armoured Division.
Greece
After a week of heavy fighting in the
mountains around Metsovo, the rebels who
were attacking the town (see last week’s
Summary) were repulsed and are xepoited
to be ' withdrawing north-westwards
towards the Voion-Grammos area. The
army claim that they have captured many
rebels and much war material. Another
successful army drive is reported from the
Mount Kroussia district. _
In Eastern Macedonia and Thrace ^e
rebels have carried out more looting and
recruiting raids and several cases of
sabotage to railways, roads and telephone
lines have been reported. When a civilian
motor-bus on the Axioupolis-Salonika
road struck a mine, 25 passengers were
killed or fatally injured.
The internal economic situation is more
serious than ever; last week the prices of
essential commodities reached the highest
level since 1945, and the General Con
federation of Labour have, therefore,
called a general strike for the 7th Novem
ber. Meanwhile, it has been agreed that
40,000 tons of Greek currants are to be
exported to Britain. It is also announced
that new measures of taxation are to be
included in the economic programme which
will shortly be submitted to the Chamber.
The anniversary of Greece’s rejection of
the Italian ultimatum in 1940 was cele
brated throughout the country on the 28th
October. Simultaneously the “ Demo
cratic Army’s ” first anniversary was
marked by special broadcasts from their
radio. These announced that a “ Demo
cratic Youth of Greece ” had been
organised in the “ liberated area ” and that
an office of Internal Affairs had been set
up there.
Albania
Albania’s ruling clique still find them
selves left out of the “ Cominform ”
bureau. A short statement which, even
coming from them, has its pathetic side,
was issued by the Central Committee of the
Albanian Communist Party on the 24th
October. After the customary preface
about small progressive peoples and Anglo-
American bandit tactics, the statement
declares baldly that the Albanian Com
munist Party completely approves the
initial declaration and resolution of the
“Cominform” and in case of need will
“at the appropriate moment” apply for
membership.
One more deputy, Arif Gjyli, has been
unseated and placed under arrest. He is
accused of having collaborated with the
last group of so-called conspirators who
were put out of the way on the 28th Sep
tember. He was found to be in hiding in
the Greek-speaking border district of