According to a press report from Borm a statement issued on March lst by a team of investigators showed how West German industry is becoming more and more concentrated, More than 50 % of all industrial stocks are held by 64 large companies, which represent only 2.7 % of the total number ef joint stock companies, In the electrical industry the concentration is particularly striking. At present there are 2,800 enterprises with 950,000 workers in the industry, The majority of production is controlled by five concerns including Siemens and the G.E.C. (10 #4, of the capital of the latter being owned by the United States G.E.C.) These five concerns employ 589,000 and their business transactions amounted to over 12,000 million marks in 1961 (there are 124 marks to the pound). [n the commercial section, the situation was very similar, For example thé tusiness transaction of seven big mail-order firms amounted to over two-thirds of the total transactions of all the 2,000 firms engaged in the activity.
Profits of monopoly capital have also increased. The dividends paid by joint stock companies increased from 2,300 million marks in 1961 to 2,500 million marks in 1962, The dividends of the three big companies belonging to the former I,G, Farben concern increased to: 366 million marks from 293 million marks in 1961, and further increased to 398 million marks in 1962.