Israel Places First Orders for German Goods Under Reparations Pact

The first batch of Israeli orders for goods to be furnished to Israel under the terms of the reparations pact were sent out today following formal approval by the mixed Israel-German commission of the agreement reached last week on the procedures to be followed in delivering and paying for the goods.

The first orders total some $8,500,000. It is expected that delivery will begin within a few months. Meanwhile, authorization has been received by the Israel purchasing mission here from Israel to place an additional $13,000,000 worth of orders. The mission has started preparing individual orders.

Orders for basic metals account for $4,500,000 of the first batch of orders, or more than one-half of the total. Rolling mill products such as structural steel, bar steel and sheet plates constitute by far the largest category. Orders for semi finished products of such nonferrous metals as aluminum, copper, brass and lead rank second, totaling $1,200,000. Next in order of importance are steel products such as drawn and cold-rolled steel and iron, drawn wire and structural steel netting. No orders have yet been placed for machinery or other products of Germany’s steel manufacturing industry.

Orders to the face value of $3,800,000 have gone out to suppliers of basic chemicals needed by Israeli industry and agriculture. The largest single order in this class is for 25,000 tons of fertilizer.