U.N. Growth Causes Overcrowding

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29913, 29 August 1962, Page 13

U.N. Growth Causes Overcrowding

(N ZP.A -Reuter—Copynghl) NEW YORK, August 27 The United Nations is almost ready to give up the unequal struggle to squeese a IM-member organisation into headquarters designed for 79 delegatfonr A major expansion programme is now under study One of the results of the United Nations population explosion half a dozen more members are expected to come in this year, and the end is not in sight is to crowd the general public ’out of what has been called

the greatest propaganda forum in the world, the General Assembly hall If the Soviet Prune Minister (Mr Khrushchev) visits the United Nations next month, as forecast he and other orators may have almost no gallery to play to. ■ Demands for space by the new states of Africa and Asia , have already displaced almost all of the original 1 press gallery Many of what > used to be the public seats i will be occupied by reporters j at the forthcoming session Structural changes recently ” completed have made room : for the new members expec--1 ted this year, but experts'

said the limit in makeshift arrangements had been reached Hence a multi-mil-lion reconstruction scheme was now at the drawing board stage. A high official estimates that this will cost ■ at least 10.000,000 dollars. The United Nations is already in deep financial ■ trouble. The Secretary-General (U I Thant) is reported to be i weighing a suggestion that : delegations save space by seating fewer representatives in the Assembly At present each nation is entitled to five delegates and five alternates i An informed source said the first Secretary-General, I Mr Trygve Lie, was partly

to blame foe the United Nation’s space problems. This source said that Mr Lie vetoed designers’ plans for a headquarters that could easily house 100 delegations, insisting that the world body would not reach that total > of members for years to come In fact, the membership of 70 nations which was : planned for when the head- : quarters was built was tapped ' little more than five years ; after the first staff moved in, : back in 1950. The 100 mark was reached when Sierra Leone joined I last year. The ultimate mem- . bership is expected to be ■ more than 130.