The Rotary Balita no. 683 (October 25, 1951)

Island reform the key to Asia's problem? This crucial question confronts the entire world. Even the dweller in cities must realize that his way of life is the exception. More than sixty percent of the world's people live by agriculture. For the countries of Asia, which cherish their independence, the question of land reform is particularly crucial. Upon their answer to it may depend their ability to remain independent in the face of ever-increasing pressure from the outside. Has U.N. the Answer? Evidently, land reform is a delicate matter of domestic jurisdiction in which the Charter (Article 2) does not authorize U.N. to intervene. Nevertheless, world concern prompted last year's General Assembly to call for "an analysis of the degree to which unsatisfactory forms of agrarian structure and, in particular, system of land tenure, in the underdeveloped countries and territories impede economic developments and thus depress the standards of living." Conclusion of the economists who prepared this report is that land reform is vital to improve living standards in many countries. but that its advantages would be "nullified" unless linked with credit, cooperative marketing, and technical and health services for the newly established small farmers. What is Actually Being Done? The 119-page Report shows that land reform is by no means confined to communist countries. Indeed, the distribution of land undertaken in Japan has put 90 percent in the hands of owner farmers, whereas Communist China has so far left two-thirds of its rural population untouched by land reform. Indian laws for the abolition of large estates are gradually affecting about half the country's cultivable area. Before the aggression of 1950, North Korea had distributed 2,450,000 acres to 725,000 landless peasants, whereas South Korea had only divided 550,000 former Japanese-owned acres to half a million peasants. Is Simple Arithmetic Too Simple? Where large estates that were sparsely cultivated are worked intensively by small holders, a general rise in the standard of living should occur, according to the U.N. report. But Asia, unfortunately, "has too many people engaged in agriculture, with a consequent insufficiency of land per worker." It is argued that dividing the land, which is already intensively cultivated, into holdings that are too small may actually lead to a decline of production and a lowering of living standards. Under communism this situation usually tends to make land reform a prelude to eventual collectivization. Thus, the ills of simple division are cured by simple addition, and the state becomes the actual landlord. The alternative, according to the U.N. economists, is not so simple. A broad range of measures is needed that will enable the small holders to reap the advantages of scientific cultivation through cooperative use of machinery and fertilizers. Industrial development sugar refineries, cotton ginneries, cottage industries, it is cealed unemployment which lies at the root of Asia's problem. The complexity of the problem can hardly be exaggerated, say the economists. Each area has its own preculiar circumstances. Yet the principle holds that each area can benefit from the experience of all. Governments are recommended to avail themselves of the United Nations' expanded program of technical assistance in planning a combination of measures to meet their particular needs. Does UNESCO Cost Too Much? Countries which contribute largely to the UNESCO budget complained when $8,718,000 was voted for 1952. Director-General Bodet was optimistic in his final speech to the General Conference in Paris. The decision to spend $20,000,000 over twelve years to train hundred of recruits in "a simultaneous attack on illiteracy, ill-health, and soil erosion" he called "a landmark in this bloodless battle against misery." Should U.S.A. Ratify the Genocide Convention? is debated in the August Rotarian Magazine by John D. Hickerson of the U.S. State Department and Frank E. Holman, past-president of the American Bar Association. Thirty other countries have ratified this international law against destruction of racial, cultural and ethnic groups. Should War-Makers Be Punished Individually? The International Law Commission has drafted the world's first detailed "code of offenses against the peace and security of mankind." Approval by the General Assembly is required. The 12 "crimes" listed include preparation or threat of aggression and "terrorist activities" in another state. Accused persons could be tried and sentenced in national or international tribunals, even if they were acting under orders. Is the Embargo Effective? Ban on trade with Communist China, in compliance with a resolution of the General Assembly, is now being enforced by 38 nations. The Soviet bloc replied that the embargo was illegal. India said that her trade with Communist China had been limited and generally does not include commodities on the prohibited list.