Aid By Development Welcomed In Asia

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30937, 18 December 1965, Page 14

Aid By Development Welcomed In Asia

Aid for Asian countries tended towards helping people to help themselves, said the Rev. A. A. Brash, a former secretary of the National Council of Churches, and now on the staff of the Asian Council of Churches, in Christ church yesterday. With headquarters in Singapore, the Asian council had 50 aid projects, and spent 8m dollars a year. Its wort was 85 per cent in long-term rehabilitation projects, and 15 per cent in direct aid. Mr Brash, who has visited nearly every Asian country, said he found a tremendous feeling in New Zealand that there was corruption in the administration of relief programmes. “It can never be denied that where food or money is concerned, there is corruption in Asiatic countries,” he said, “But in our case, the amount is so small that anyone who will support appeals for help, such as the present National Council of Churches appeal, is just indulging in sheer escapism. “The help given by the Asian council is very well received. We are not dealing in millions, and the inescapable corruption is a very small factor.” In Vietnam, aid was a "special thing" because people were trying to help in the middle of a war. It was a case of fitting in a little here, and a little there. Generally, in Asia, the attitude towards aid had been critical, and the change to aid by development schemes had been welcomed. He had recently attended a conferenceat Kandy, Ceylon, where American aid might have been expected to have come under fire. But, said Mr Brash, the

conference decided to make a special appeal to the United States for more help for India, where it seemed likely

that an unprecedented famine would develop. The situation in India was very tense, said Mr Brash. The World Council of Churches was raising half a million dollars for aid without knowing when the situation would explode. Mr Brash has returned to New Zealand mainly to attend the fourth ecumenical youth conference, to be held at Hamilton from December 28 to January 4. It is expected that about 1400 young people will attend.

Halswell Rates.—The Halswell County Council has fixed February 16 as the last day for payment, without penalty, for rates for ths current year.