PROVISION OF AID FOR BACKWARD COUNTRIES

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26854, 6 October 1952, Page 6

PROVISION OF AID FOR BACKWARD COUNTRIES

WAR OR WANT?

IBy the London Staff of the ' “Manchester Guardian”]

Aid for under-developed countries —the “war on want’’—was the theme of the parliamentary conference op woriq goverpment at Bedford College, Regent s Park, last month. Two aspects of the problem were emphasised in debate—-the need to art quickly te avert a “crisis of starvation” and the peed to copvipce the under-developed countries that they were not to be subjected to any form of economic imperialism.

The conference had an early reminder of the dangers of tactlessness. Mr L. C. Bautesta, of the Philippines, noted the absence from the chairmen’s panel of a representative of an underdeveloped area. As fie was speaking, Signor G. Adonnino, of Italy, was in the chair. But hardly had he finished when Mr Shettima Kashim, of Nigeria, a splendid figure ip a tarboosh, took Signor Adonnino’s place.

Mr Harold Wilson opened the debate by moving a resolution in which the attention of governments was drawn to the need to provide means for an international development authority. His speech was in the main a summary of the pamphlet “War on want,” which Mr Wilson edited and which was published in May. (A precis of the pamphlet had previously beep circulated to delegates,) Mr Wilsoa said that little progress towards the relief of poverty had been made in the last year, although the problem had increased in urgency. “The plain fact is,” he said, “that measured in terms of hunger, and fiefining hunger in terms of identifiable deficiency diseases, two-thirds of the men and women of the world are living in conditions of poverty to-day.” Population Problem The growth of population—every two weeks the world's population in- ■ creased by the size .of faced the world with a crisis of starvation in which the importing countries would be the first to suffer. If development were to proceed at the rate, that was required to overtake the increase ill population “we must be prepared for the next 10 years to sacrifice raw materials and suffer further shortages in so doing.” Magnificent work had been done by some international agencies, yet it was on far too smpU a scale. An international development agency should be established to co-ordinate the work already being done and with powers to stimulate production, to finance and assist national schemes, to train specialists, and to procure capital equipment. The authority would offer a permanent career to men and women from all over the world. He doubted whether anything less than such an international authority could bring about the results needed, even if the wealthier nations agreed to make capital available. One qf the biggest and most difficult tasks was to get the relationship right between the wealthier and the poorer countries. Mr Wilson thought an international body might do this more easily than any ‘particular country. “Some of my colleagues and myself,” said Mr Wilson, “have recommended that the Government of the United Kingdom should take the lead at the | comins meeting of the General As, sembly of the United Nations and pronose the establishment of I.D.A. We 1 have gone further and recommended that as a means of financing world development and provifiins the physical resources that are necessary, a sum equal to 10 per cent, of all toads allocated for military expenditure by members of the' United Nations in the financial year 1952-53 should be diverted for financing world economic and social development." The proposal for a cut of one-tenth in arms expenditure was later described by Mr. A. C. N rm-'n. a member of th- Danish P-rliament. as ,‘soimduig like music in my ears” What a wonderful idea it was. he said to take one fighter out of every 10 planned and convert if “into mjnv thousands of living children.” Mr Pali) Andrews, whe has just relinquished 1

the post of Dean of Syracuse University in th® United States, also suptorted a scheme for immediate isarnaament, coupled wife the use of 10 per cent of fee money saved tor economic development.

Feer of Weak Nations Mr Abdul Karim, of Pakistan, wu the first of the speakers who dealt mainly with the fear of weaker nations that the movement for world government and international deveb opment concealed a motive of economic imperialism. He likened subject peoples to v a human atom bound to be liberated in the not fardistant future.” Mr Bautesta protested sharply that when his country had gained its independence ip 1947 the United Statei had attached such conditions to the economic aid offered as to force the Philippines back into colonial stattti. “We lost our sovereignty on the very day our independence was granted to us,” h© §aid, adding that he supported world government in the hope feat 11 would restore sovereignty to »uppreseed peoples. Mr Shettima Kashim said it was impossible Io place the whole world on the same level of equality, but all countries could be brought nearer to feat level if fee people in the under- ’ developed countries were given enough food, better housing, medical, and educational facilities, more enjoyment of culture, and some leisure. Mr H. V. Kamath, who lost his seat in the Indian Parliament at the lart election, returned to the question of ta©t in dealing with the underdeveloped countries. He quoted Britain’s handling of Malaya as a bad example and declared that the villagers who were uprooted by the British were turning Communist. British policy wtl American Aid Mr A. C. Guha, who did not lose his seat in the Indian elections, complained that most American aid went to Europe and would thus increase the disparity between fee richer and the poorer countries.' Mr Krishna Menon, the former High Commissioner for India in Loudon, protested that the under-developed countries would not accept aid on the condition that they must assist in containing any other political Power. In view of all this first-hand teafi’ mony, it seemed unnecessary for Mr Fenner Brockway, the Labour member for Eton and Slough, who caipe hot foot from a three-day conference with Africans and Asiatics, to explain how much these people disliked Patronage. But Mr Brockway invited the conference to admire the Gex»rt scheme in the Sudan as “a model of how aid can be given, to Colonial people without political or economic upperialism.” The peasants had bene“tod s ° much from this scheme, he added, that they were in danger of becoming kulaks and employers of cheap labour.

Mr Bernard Braine, the Conservative member for Billericay, gave a tentative blessing to the proposal for an international development authority, but he foresaw difficulties in persuadlnS th® British people to raise capital —either by more work or less consutnptionr—f°r overseas development ♦u l f be easy,” he said, “to get the British people back into the habit of saving. ’ and they would u*»t tolerate high taxation to finance schemes like the groundnuts scheme, or to raise QQUn toies like Persia that ? wr Pe°Ple and confiscated uur property. jWilson’s motion waf passed unanimously.