STUDENTS HECKLE MINISTER

U.S. banks move into W. Germany By a forelgn correspondent AMERICA'S sixth largest bank, the Chemical, opened its first branch in Frankfurt on Wednesday.

It is the most recent of several US banks to move into West Germany's leading commercial centre.

William Renchard, chairman of the Chemical Bank, stated that the decision to open the new branch had been taken because of the growing number of US firms now moving into West Germany.

Speculation

A further attraction for foreign banks is the expected lifting of the West German government's temporary restrictions imposed in the period of speculation on the mark.

US financial and industrial penetration of the main Common Market countries is essential for their continued domination of the European market.

The Common Market was projected precisely to combat this Us monopoly pressure.

The sheer weight of US finance capital has in this case, as in many others proved the stronger.

Gandhi Party right wing.

The Party split has led to the defection of about 75 MPs to the right-wing opposition in the Lower House.

She can now count only on. the votes of 200 Congress Party membersleaving her about 60 seats short of a majority in the 520-member house.

Defections

Two of India's three 'Communist' parties, the ro-Moscow Stalinists led y S. A. Dange and the 'Marxists' (recently deserted by a left-'Maoist' splinter U.S. FIRMS WANT TO BREAK RHODESIAN CHROME SANCTIONS THE US firms Union shortage by impor ranhido and Annto Minarol from the Soviet Union. but varulue diu rovle suicide hope to overcome their shortage of chromium by importing ore from Chrome is second only to nickel (in short supply due to several long strikes) as an alloy used in steel production.

The current chrome famine is partly caused by the United Nations trade embargo placed on Rhodesia, one of the world's main chrome producers.

The two US companies have partly overcome the S-TI men group), command 43 seats in the house and have agreed to support Mrs Gandhi on certain terms.

Though supporting an alliance with the Stalinists, Mrs Gandhi is at the same time threatened by further defections from her faction in parliament if she draws too close to them.

Moves are already afoot to expel Mrs Gandhi from the Congress Party on a charge of breach of party discipline.

This could well take place before the Indian parliament reopens.

If the right-wing move against her is successful, Mrs Gandhi will find herself Prime Minister of India without a party.

It is at this moment of acute crisis within the Indian ruling class that the Stalinists, 'left' as well right, come to the rescue of the Prime Minister and assist her attempts to hold together the main Indian capitalist Wages battle ahead in Holland they now hope to ease the situation further by applying to the British government for permission to purchase 200,000 tons from the Smith regime.

Opposed

The Labour government's official policy is opposed to such transactions, as is that of the Soviet Union.

Their reactions to the company's request could throw light on their attitudes to the apartheid regime. able to prepare for this one-day stoppage.

'Our issue is the issue of the whole combine Two press operators - H. Rudkin and W. Parkes-told us :

'Barbara Castle thought we'd go back once she set up the court of inquiry. We won't.

'Stokes makes , it worse with his performance in the House of Lords. Will he say that when the Queen gets a rise?' (Lord Stokes referred in his maiden speech to 'piratical claims' in the motor industry.)

It's not a court of inquiry we want-it's cash!' Attacking the court, Paddy Long said :

'Courts of inquiry aren't by and for the emplokers but A young press shop worker -J. W. Taylor-said that in his opinion:

'We can't go back with nöthing to negotiations.

If we go back without winning it will be very hard to get the men out again if in negotiations the management refuse what we want.

'We only win if they pay us.

'If we do win it will help other motor workers. There should be a token strike in the combine every week!' Later Thursday, the strike committee met members of the British-Leyland trade unions' combine execuarising from thethe points informal meeting with Lord Stokes. UNDREDS of Prague students heckled the rech Minister for Education at a meeting Id in the students' hostel.

Admit Britain to EE.C.

Minister

WEST GERMAN Foreign Minister Walter Scheel made a call for British admission to the Common Market on Thursday.

Answering questions in the Bundestag, Scheel warned of the consequences of blocking British entry:

If we do not succeed in giving the Common Market new political impulses we will be facing a hard time in Europe?

Support for British mem pership 1s clearly going to be the West German delegation's policy in the forthcoming European Community summit meeting at the Hague. NEGOTIATIONS began on Wednesday between the Dutch trade unions and employers for a new two-year labour agreement.

Union leaders are insisting at this stage on the following demands: • Three per cent wage increase. • Reduction in the working week from 43ł hours to 42 • Increase in holidays from 15 days to 17 days. • Increase in holiday pay.

Resist

Faced with ever-sharpening European and overseas competition the Dutch employers, backed up by the recently adopted government incomes policy, will resist these demands stubbornly.

The Dutch working class has already been engaged in several sharp battles, and can be relied upon to fight just as stubbornly for its claim.

34-8» ORDER THE Pull aubecription (Posted dally) 210 a year OR {2 10s. for three months I would like to subscribe Name Address ›51 to: CIrculation Organizer, Workers' Press, 18 apham High Street, London, SW4. (Tel: 01-720-200 The Minister, Jaroslay Hrbek, had, rather surprisingly, agreed to answer students questions and throughout Wednesday's meeting had to face a completely hostile audience.

According to reports given by students • at the meeting, one student set the tone from the start by asking:

What kind of people do you want us to be if you want us to be a generation of turncoats again?' Boos and hisses boos, hisses and the scrap ng of chair legs greeted every attack on the antiHusak opposition.

When Hrbek described Jan Palach (the student who burnt himself to death as a protest against the Kremlin as someone tragically misguided right-wing opportunists', the rest of his remarks were drowned by whistling and booing.

Another question related to student self-government, ar issue which was evaded with the reply that it was a Party issue that could not be discussed just by students.

The open defiance shown by students proves that the spirit of the opposition is not crushed.

They, like the Czech workers, are firmly opposed as ever to the Husak regime.