SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                        Washington, D.C.  20549

                    _______________________________

                               FORM 8-K


           Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                  the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  February 3, 1999 
(February 1, 1999)


                       GREIF BROS. CORPORATION				
        (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


          Delaware                  1-566         31-4388903	
(State or other jurisdiction of  (Commission   (IRS Employer
       incorporation)            File Number)  Identification No.)

   425 Winter Road, Delaware, Ohio                   43015		
(Address of principal executive offices)          (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code:  (740) 549-6000


                         Not Applicable					
   (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)



Item 4.		Changes in Registrant's Certifying Accountant.

(a) (1) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has been the independent public accounting 
        firm for Greif Bros. Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the 
        "Company"). On February 1, 1999, the Company informed 
        PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP that an audit proposal would not be sought 
        from that firm and that it was being dismissed as the Company's 
        independent public accountants.

    (2) For the two fiscal years ended October 31, 1998, the report of 
        PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP on the Company's consolidated financial 
        statements did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of 
        opinion, nor was any such report qualified or modified as to 
        uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles.

    (3) The decision to change accountants was approved by the Audit Committee 
        of the Company's Board of Directors.

    (4) During the Company's two fiscal years ended October 31, 1998 and 
        through February 1, 1999, there were no disagreements between 
        PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the Company regarding any matter of 
        accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or 
        auditing scope or procedure which, if not resolved to the satisfaction 
        of the former accountant, would have caused it to make reference 
        thereto in its report on the financial statements for such years.

    (5) The Company has requested that PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP furnish it 
        with a letter addressed to the Securities and Exchange Commission 
        stating whether or not it agrees with the above statements.  A copy 
        of such letter, dated February 3, 1999, is filed as Exhibit 16 to 
        this Form 8-K.

(b) The Company's Audit Committee has directed the Company's management to 
    prepare and seek request for audit proposals (the "Audit RFP") from certain 
    independent public accounting firms regarding the audit of the Company's 
    financial statements for its fiscal year ending October 31, 1999.  The 
    Company shall file a Form 8-K under Item 4(b) of that report at such time 
    as the new independent accountant has been engaged, which report shall 
    provide the information required by Item 304(a)(2) of Regulation S-K.

Item 7.		Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits.

The following document is being filed as an exhibit to this Form 8-K:

Exhibit
No.       Description of Exhibit

16        Letter regarding change in certifying accountant. 


                                SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by 
the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                                         GREIF BROS. CORPORATION



Date: February 3, 1999                   By /s/ Joseph W. Reed			
                                         Joseph W. Reed, Chief Financial
                                         Officer


                           EXHIBIT INDEX


Exhibit
No.       Description of Exhibit

16        Letter regarding change in certifying accountant.


                                                  EXHIBIT 16



                       PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
                         100 East Broad Street
                              Suite 2100
                         Columbus, Ohio  43215
                        Telephone (614) 225-8700
                        Facsimile (614) 224-1044

                                                   February 3, 1999

Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20549

                        Greif Bros. Corporation

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have read Item 4 of Greif Bros. Corporation's Form 8-K dated 
February 3, 1999 and are in agreement with the statements contained 
in paragraph 4(a) therein.

                                   Yours very truly,

                                   /s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP