Research About ‘Neighbour’

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30540, 8 September 1964, Page 15

Research About ‘Neighbour’

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

SYDNEY, September 7.

Academics at the Australian National University will soon launch a major project to study the economy of Indonesia, the “Sydney Morning Herald” says.

The project is being organised by the depart ment of economics in the university’s research school of Pacific studies and will be under the control of the head of the department, Professor H. Arndt, who is flying to Indonesia soon to arrange details of the scheme. “I think it is very important that we should know what is going on in the economic sphere in our neighbouring countries, and this applies especially to Indonesia, which is our closest and most important neighbour,” said Professor Arndt.

The project, to include long term research into the Indonesian economy, in part under a grant from the Ford Foundation, will have two main sections:— Study of current developments in the Indonesian economy, including periodic economic surveys. Basic research, involving field work in Indonesia, into particular aspects of the economy such as primary production, features of the village economy, finance, transport and problems of industrialisation. The Indonesian Trade Ministry has prohibited storage of-essential foodstuffs, including rice. It has limited quantities of food which may be stored without a permit. . Exceptions to the regulations are the armed forces, police and village store houses.