The Rotary Balita no. 762 (May 31, 1951)

Addressing the opening meeting, Secretary-General Lie warned that "income is less evenly distributed in the world now than before the war. Unless bold measures are taken now," he continued "the differences of living standards between the more-developed and the less-developed countries are bound to grow wider. "This is a very serious, a very dangerous trend," he continued. "A great expansion of the world's economy is necessary. The question is raised whether this can be done in the face of the present armaments programs. The answer, I think, is that it can be done if there is sufficient understanding of the essential place of such an expanded program in the effort to win security from world-wide war and chaos, and that it must be done if the world. is to avoid disaster." Can the Desert Be Made to Blossom? Thousands of years ago, the oldest civilizations flourished in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. Under the tread of many conquerors, this so-called fertile crescent sank into desert and decay. Only in this generation. has the discovery of the largest oil resources in the world aroused hope of restoring the productivity and perhaps the ancient glories of this region. Recently, the International Bank directed the largest mission in its history to advise the government of Iraq on priorities of investment, and on technical and administrative changes. At the same time, another mission from UNESCO is working in Iraq and Egypt to devise simple educational techniques to teach Arabic peoples to read and write. What Is Your Concept of Freedom? Carroll Binder (U.S.A.) said there was "no true meeting of the mind on basic issues" as the committee on a freedom of information convention completed its draft preamble and 19 articles. On his side, freedom meant the minimum of restrictions. For others freedom could emerge only when the duties and responsibilities of those who purvey information are clearly stated. Article 2 of the draft which lists nine such "duties" or "restrictions" was adopted ever the opposition of Russia and the U.S.A. Semyon Tsarapkin (USSR) opposed the absence of restrictions on fascist propaganda, distorted information and reports which incite racial discrimination. Meanwhile, the non-governmental Jewish Labor Committee decided to demand a U.N. investigation of alleged "spiritual genocide and physical enslavement of Jews in Russia.... There is no trace left in Russia of Jewish culture, all Jewish schools have been closed, newspapers silenced, Yiddish writers liquidated; Biro-Bidjan which was to have been an autonomous Jewish republic no longer exists in a true sense." Should Politics Affect Feeding of Hungry Children? This question was raised at the Executive Board of the Children's Fund by the representative of Nationalist China when Russia opposed supplying skim milk to 60,000 children on Formosa. Grants for children in Albania were also held up until the Fund's mission is allowed to enter the country. New grants were approved for programs in India and Yugoslavia, both hard hit by drought, involving $240,000 and $480,000, respectively. This left only $37,000 in the Fund. New contributions from governments and individuals are urgently needed if this humanitarian work is to continue. Does Ownership of Land Influence Production? A significant comment was made by Director Dodd of the Food and Agriculture Organization whose headquarters moved from Washington to Rome last February. "In my travels last year, during which I visited most of the countries in Latin America," he said, "I found that the system of land-holding and tenancy is often such as to make increased production on the part of farmers almost impossible. Such conditions must be changed if our modern technology is to be given a chance to transform the lives of average human beings." What Price Self-Government? Holding its eighth session, the Trusteeship Council spent most of the month discussing annual reports of administering authorities in Western Samoa, the Pacific Islands, Nauru, and New Guinea. It then began to consider a flood of petitions from the Ewe people in Togoland who seek their recognition as a distinct nation. In this connection, the Council had to take account of the results of the election in the adjacent British colony of the Gold Coast where some of the Ewe live. There a nationalist group won 34 out of 38 seats in the legislative assembly. The remaining 46 seats are filled by appointment. While some criticized the election as demons- trating "the latest technique of the Politburo allying itself with the juju of darkest Africa," others saw it as "a half-way house to democracy." There was nothing half-way, however, about the claims of followers of the nationalist leader. They said that he could raise the dead and transport himself instantly to any part of the 91,843 square mile colony. Administering authorities were asked to abolish corporal punishment and to teach the inhabitants of trust territories about the United Nations. As administrator of the Somaliland Trust, though not a member of U.N. Italy was invited to participate without vote in the work of the Council. ---- The sages do not consider that making no mistakes is a blessing. They believe, rather, that the great virtue of man lies in his ability to correct his mistakes and continually to make a new man of himself. -WANG YANG-MING, I.B.M.