VAST POTENTIALITIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27514, 7 October 1950, Page 7

VAST POTENTIALITIES

Economic Development Of

South-east Asia New Zealand Press Association—Copyright LONDON, Oct. 5. The Minister for Economic Affairs, Mr Hugh Gaitskell, said today that immediate potentialities were waiting to be tapped if the trained man-power and capital were provided as envisaged in the Commonwealth plans for the economic development of South and South-east asia.

Commonwealth Ministers and representatives from non-Common-wealth South and South-east Asian countries have just concluded 10 days of secret talks in London on economic aid for the area.

Mr Gaitskell, who was chairman ot the conference, told a press conference that it was estimated that in India improvements in agricultural practices and techniques would add 50 per cent, to the production of jute, 30 per cent, to cotton, 30 per cent, to oil seeds, and 8 per cent, to food grains. Mr Gaitskell said the potentialities of the area were discussed with specific programmes for development in a draft report now to be considered by individual Commonwealth Governments concerned. Mr Gaitskell disclosed that £8,000.000 would be make available under the draft proposals to meet some of the economic problems of an area which comprised 570,000,000 people—a quarter of the world’s population. He said that the area now produced almost all the jute in the world, almost half the tin, one-third of the oils and fats, and three-quarters of the tea. Problems to be Overcome Shortage of manpower and capital were grave difficulties which must be overcome if the economic aid programme of India, Pakistan, Ceylon, and the British territories of Malaya, Singapore. Sarawak and North Borneo were to be carried out fully in the planned six-year period. This was revealed in a British Treasury communique today at the conclusion of the talks.

to recommend to their Governments the adoption of a draft constitution for the proposed council for technical cooperation which is designed to alleviate the shortage of trained man power.

The council would be composed of representatives of all Governments wishing to co-operate. The scheme would operate through the technical assistance bureau with headquarters in Colombo. It would be empowered to arrange in consultation with the Governments concerned: 1. For the training of personnel in countries where suitable facilities were available.

2. For the despatch of missions overseas to study new techniques. 3. For the provision of expert instructors and advisory missions to assist under-developed countries in planing, development, and reconstruction. 4. For the provision of equipment required for training or use by technical expei’ts in the area. Financing The Scheme

The communique said that if the six-year plan were to be fully implemented it would be necessary to enlist the financial support of international agencies and countries outside the South and South-east Asian region.

The Ministers unanimously adopted the draft report, which will be published if approved by the Commonwealth Governments after consideration. The Ministers examined and agreed

Financial observers close to the talks said that the economic aid programmes totalled about £1,725,000,000. The countries represented at the talks were Britain. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, and Ceylon. The Six non-Commonwealth countries of South and South-east Asia who attended the three sessions of the talks were Burma, Indonesia, Siarp, and the three associate States of Indo-China. Britain’s Contribution The Labour Party Conference at Margate has shown that in the forefront of party policy is the world plan for mutual aid through which, by concerted Government action, the countries of the industrial West would help to develop backward areas. The plan was first proposed in the re-cently-published Labour policy statement, Labour and the New Society, and after a six-hour debate, was unanimously accepted by the annual conference.

The Lord President of the Council, Mr Herbert Morrison, the Minister of Fuel, Mr Philip Noel-Baker, the Parliamentary Under-secretary to the Home Office, Mr Geoffrey de Freitas, and, finally, at great length, the Minister of Health, Mr Aneurin Bevan, each in turn emphasised the vital need for world action under British Labour leadership to raise the living standards in Asia and other underdeveloped regions. Mr Bevan said that Britain would have to contribute a great share in spite of her own economic problems, which had now been accentuated by rearmament. He warned the conference that this would mean sacrifices. “It will demand from us a greater degree of self-restraint and altruism than mankind has ever known,” he said. “We shall have to deny things for ourselves in order that we can give them to the undeveloped parts of the world.” Mr Morrison said that two-thirds of the people of the world were living in poverty. By alleviating this distress the rest of the world would not help only the people concerned, but themselves as well.

The Daily Mail says: “No one can yet estimate the total cost of the world plan to which Mr Morrison referred. or how much Britain may have to contribute, largely to the Southeast Asian scheme, but many other ambitious projects are contemplated, particularly in Africa. Britain probably will be called upon to set aside capital equipment of all kinds that could be sold at high prices in other markets. No return can be expected for many years.”