German Events #5 (1965)

[Music] for one week west germany's president heinrich lubke visited ethiopia emperor haile selassie greeted the german head of state and his party with full military honors dr lubka returned the state visit which the emperor had paid to germany 10 years ago in addition to the conveyance of official honors the extensive itinerary included visits to many noteworthy economic and cultural areas of the country ethiopia dates back some 3000 years making this dynasty the oldest in the world unswerving political neutrality clever economic and social reforms and his dedicated efforts in behalf of the african federation have rewarded the king with the faith and trust of the emerging african nations [Music] the two heads of state met at jubilee palace in addis ababa for mutual discussions the federal republic had agreed to provide financial assistance for the construction of an interior highway network and it is hoped this gesture of friendship will further strengthen the traditionally friendly ties between west germany and ethiopia [Music] from lubeck in the north down to the bavarian forest an 800-mile border slices through the middle of germany barbed wire death strips and mine fields curb the desire for freedom by the 17 million people in the communist affiliated part of the country since 1945 this unnatural line has prevented german citizens in the east and west from coming together many who tried to cross this border to freedom paid for their attempts with their lives recently however an agreement made possible for the first time the crossing of the wall in berlin by the elder generation in the east they are allowed for a very restricted period to visit relatives in the west [Music] currently 23 trains overflowing with pensioners from central germany arrived daily in the federal republic some 280 000 pensioners have arrived to date the eastern regime now allows at least for the time being women over 60 years of age and men over 65 to visit their relatives in west germany and west berlin once a year for a period of four weeks for most of them it is the first vedas in with their families in many many years [Music] on the lower banks of the elba river near hamburg we find an important location for the supply of fruits and vegetables to the big cities this area is called the four countries and here you'll find tradition of very great importance the life of the four country farmer over the past three centuries is on display at this open-air museum customs have always had their place in a farmer's life this museum accurately preserves for us times long since past yet today it is little more than a site for historians and school classes today's pace demands of each landlord and adaptability to economic progress not infrequently sacrificing traditional methods in the process and it starts right behind the museum on the edge of the ancient lands bordering the elba we find stada the center of an important farming community fruit and vegetable production is aided here by fertile soil and a mild climate yet in view of the current labor shortage fully utilizing such a fruitful area necessitated the use of every technical aid available in order to increase its lucrativeness this planter for strawberries capable of planting about 2 500 plants an hour is four times faster than the conventional hand method changes in today's farming are graphically clear on this modern forward-thinking acreage which surprisingly has remained family owned for more than 300 years cherry-picking has undergone a drastic change and these controlled growth trees have reduced harvest time by 300 percent automatic milkers in the pasture as well as in the barn permit a 20 increase in manageable livestock a single milker can service 40 cows a day the preparation of winter feed is completely mechanized the semi-wet grass is chopped up and carried by the harvester for storage a thresher is likewise a necessary albeit exorbitantly expensive part of any well-run farm the farmers here organized a local machinery combine on a share and share a like basis undoubtedly one solution to the problem of obtaining expensive equipment farm production in the federal republic has almost doubled in the last 12 years in this same period farm labor is down 45 percent the natural result is growing mechanization simultaneously a prerequisite for the successful competition by west germany's farm community within the european common market today's farmer must be an accomplished accountant if he is to remain competitive on the european market bacterial fermentation takes place in these storage silos producing an excellent winter feed and there with another former step in winter food preparation utilizing shredded beets has become superfluous [Applause] this simple conveyor assists in keeping the stalls clean there is little room on today's modern farm for rural romance technology and experimentation are helping today's farmer to free himself from old-fashioned methods this is a beat picker processor [Music] likewise the idyllic weekly marketplace is becoming a rarity at a cost of well over 20 million dollars amber built a modern wholesale marketplace to meet the fruit and vegetable needs of its million plus population but the farmer himself is still nearby with his smaller harvests the ceiling is 737 feet long and covers some 134 000 square feet buyers from hamburg's retail stores select their wares from over 430 stalls annual sales at this gigantic produce market hover around the 100 million dollar mark by the time hamburg awakens the buyers will have long since made their choices and about four thousand five hundred trucks will have left this marketplace loaded with fresh produce this pan am jet cargo clipper recently landed at frankfurt's rhine main airport carrying truly beautiful cargo [Music] america's fashion designers gave a preview on this improvised runway of their winter collections with which they hope to conquer the european market in the belly of this cargo plane five models showed west german reporters what the american couturiers have especially created for europe's chic modern women from sporty leisurely fashions all the way to elegant evening gowns bettina lauer a favorite model of photographers between munich and new york is representative of west germany's fashionable export activity her versatile face has graced the covers of such international fashion magazines as vogue and harper's bazaar but bettina's alluring appearance is not her only contribution to the world of fashion whenever the photographers give her a break bettina lauer works in her husband's fashion salon and as a trained seamstress fashion designer and graduate textile engineer her qualifications make her not only the loveliest but certainly one of the best trained females in european fashion this is one of her designs a hooded jacket for normal street wear and an original fireside ensemble bettina's three-year-old son can definitely be numbered among her many admirers oh every fall the countryside resounds to the trumpeter's call for the hubertus hunt a centuries-old custom named after the patron saint of hunters the horsemen formerly chased after wild game but participate today for the simple job [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is no victor [Music]