Gertrude Enderle-Burcel, Dieter Stiefel, Alice Teichova (Hrsg.): Sonderband 9. „Zarte Bande” – Österreich und die europäischen planwirtschaftlichen Länder / „Delicate Relationships” – Austria and Europe’s Planned Economies (2006)
L'udovit Hallon - Miroslav Londák: Sources and Possibilities of Research on Slovak-Austrian Economic Relations after the Second World War
Sources and Possibilities of Research on Slovak-Austrian Economic Relations... management explicitly stressed the importance of exporting agricultural products from Slovakia in the trade relationships with Austria and characterized the postwar situation thus:. [...] We know from the past that our country is dependent on exports of fresh vegetables mainly to Austria since this country is the importing state and as a result of its vicinity will receive the goods fresh enough and fast [...] Creating of trade with the Austrian government was very difficult. This country did not have any means of payment and besides all contacts had to be signed by all four occupation powers [...] It was impossible to conduct business without this, only to make compensational deals [■■•]* From January 1946 to March 1947 Frutex carried out its own exports of vegetables to Austria and mediated exports of other six companies for trading with agricultural products at the overall value of 37.6 million crowns. Part of the trading was conducted under state guarantee of 60 million crowns, which was provided by the Czechoslovak government for Austria to allow the import of vegetables. The supply was taken over by the Viennese companies Österreichische Kartoffelimport- gesellschaft and J. Valent & Co. The compensational exports from Austria to Slovakia mainly consisted of chalk, asbestos planks, gypsum, timber saws, components for compressors and other products from the Viennese firms Schöller, K. Kafka, Gipswerke A. G., F. Lipowsky, Hörbiger and F. Piatnik & Sohn.1' Conditions in Austria and the demand for supply of food from Slovakia is characterized by a remark in the economic report of Frutex where the company management observed in connection to consignments of low quality Sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) the following: “[...] we sent sour kraut of poor quality. Of course, Vienna took over the goods, even though with reservations, because they were starving [...].“* 9 10 In the spring of 1947 the Czechoslovak government planned another guarantee for Austria for imports of vegetables for 100 million crowns. An independent guarantee valued at 150 million crowns was prepared by the Slovak side, namely by the Department of Nutrition. However, the plans were not carried out because of a catastrophic drought in the summer of 1947." Political developments in Czechoslovakia since the autumn of 1947 and the gradual consolidation of the economic situation of Austria led to the fact that the relevance of traditional food supplies from Slovakia to Austria was lowered. s Archive of the National Bank of Slovakia Bratislava, State Czechoslovak Bank - Regional Institute for Slovakia [further: ANBS, SCB-R1S], Comment about the account of Frutex for 1946, Bratislava 1946, Cart. 70. 9 ANBS, SCB-RIS, Export account of Frutex to Austria from January 1946 to March 1947, Bratislava 1947, Cart. 70. 10 ANBS, SCB-RIS, Comment of Frutex for 1946, Bratislava 1946, Cart. 70. Londâk, Miroslav: Otâzky industrializâcie Slovenska 1945-1960 (Questions concerning the industrialization of Slovakia 1945-1960). Bratislava 1999, p. 45. 297
