Austrian Chancellor Seeks Compromise on Jewish Claims Issue

Chancellor Julius Raab was expected today to make further efforts to overcome objections of the Social Democrats to a seven-point plan or settlement of Jewish claims against Austria now pending in the Cabinet.

The plan, submitted by Dr. Reinhardt Kamitz, the Austrian Finance Minister, a regarded in Jewish circles as unacceptable even if Chancellor Raab should succeed a persuading Dr. Adolf Schaerf, Deputy Chancellor and leader of the Social Democrats, to alter his stand.

Dr. Schaerf virtually torpedoed the Kamitz proposals in Cabinet discussions by demanding that Socialists persecuted by the Austrian regimes during the 1933-38 period benefit from the general fund for payment to Nazi victims. Dr. Raab’s party will not agree to this because it would place the pre-Anschluss Dollfuss and Schuscnigg regimes in the same category as the Nazis.

JEWS CONSIDER AUSTRIAN PROPOSAL UNSATISFACTORY

Jewish circles pointed out today that the Kamitz plan, even if accepted by the cabinet, would not provide a satisfactory basis of discussion since it offers only 10 million schillings in settlement of lump-sum heirless property – a fraction of he minimum Jewish demand.

In addition to the heirless property proposal, the Kamitz plan offered a fund of 00 million schillings for Nazi victims who held Austrian citizenship before 1938 or had lived in Austria for 10 years without having Austrian citizenship. (This would include former Polish Jews who were residents of Austria and were victims of he Nazis.)

Former recipients of Austrian pensions who do not now have Austrian citizenship and reside outside Austria would be entitled to pensions under the Kamitz plan and would be accorded the benefits of the War Victims’ Law.

The Austrian Government would also provide 3, 350, 000 schillings for restoration of synagogues in Austria, would defray the costs of transferring the bodies of Jewish victims of the Nazis to Jewish cemeteries and would provide housing for homeless Jews who returned to Vienna.

JEWISH DELEGATION DISCUSSES DEMANDS WITH CHANCELLOR

Chancellor Raab and former Chancellor Leopold Figl discussed today, with a delegation representing the Austrian Jewish communities, possibilities of satisfying Jewish demands. Both sides declined any public comment after the meeting but it was believed that the final word has not yet been spoken and that the Kamitz plan may be amended.

A Social-Democratic Party spokesman explained today that his party was not fighting against Jewish restitution but was insisting that restitution also be made to prewar Socialist victims of persecution.