After 3 1/2 years of occupation , the Russians in Germany , thanks to their "vacuum cleaner" reparations policy , have squeezed their part of the country dry and brought it almost to economic ruin. This is shown up in sharp contrast to the upward trent of economic life and standard of living in the Western Zones since the introduction of the Westmark last June. Photo shows: A typical East German scene . Theempty farm cart passes the burnt-out remains of a tank . The Russians have left many such tanks lying instead of making use of the metal and have preferred to drain off current production instead 18th february 1949