The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-11-26
. Clapper
Longer and Harder
But Surer Way
We Start al Bottom for
Post War Building
Set the Pace for United
Nations Relief Work
Suresf Road TO Practical
World Peace Program
By RAYMOND CLAPPER

ment Of Gov. Herbert Lehman to
direct relief and rehabilitation OF
liberated territory suggests we
have learned one important thing
from the failure of the League Of
Nations
The league was an ambitious
experiment. sprung out Of the
Paris peace conference the easy
wav instead of being built the
hard way. So ii never had reality
behind it. The league was a beau
tiful ideal. like the later crackpot
dream that America could let the
rest of the world go to perdition
and not be dragged down with 1t.
Either would have been acceptable
IL it had worked.
This time we are making a less
start, but a more re-
alistic one. We are going at it
like builder. beginning with
some solid foundation stones on
which, it is hoped. a durable and
livable structure can be built in
time. We are going at it the
longer, harder way, but that usu-
ally is the surer way in the end.
We begin, in a modest way, by
trying to meet an immediate. prac-
teal need, the need of feeding and
supplying the populations where
we have taken over in North AZ
RIGA. They have been bled by the
Axis, and left worse off than they
were before. We hope to leave
them better off.
We will not only feed them. but
we will send them seed, fertilizer
and other things needed so they
can increase their production. We
will obtain from them cork. olive
oil and other products we need
and thus assist them gradually to
become self-supporting localities.
We will emphasize not only relief
but the things that will make
them better producers-andi in the
end larger consumers of goods
from all manufacturing nations.
This is not a soup-kitchen project
For the moment. this will be
largely an American show. But
before long it is probable that the
work of Governor Lehman will be-
come part of a United Nations
organization = the first practical,
going piece of United Nations ma
chinery to grow out of the war.
This is q field in which there
is little difficulty in the United
Nations getting together. More
than a year ago, before we went
into the war, the British and the
exiled governments in London Gre
ated an inter-allied committee on
postwar requirements. Sir Fred
erick Leigh-Ross. chief economic
adviser to the British government.
became chairman of it. He has
been in Washington for some
months working with our govern
ment on relief and rehabilitation
plans, and has returned to London
to report and prepare the way
for setting up the United Nations
group.
Governor Lehman probably will
expand his North African activi-
ties by heading up the actual work
of this United Nations group. It
would deal not only with interim
work, such as aiding people in re-
covered territory, but would pre-
pare to go into the transition work
OF restoration that will follow the
end Of the fighting in Europe.
This Is the pattern preferred
here now. working from the small
er, immediate. urgent thing and
growing into the bigger tasks that
viii come with the progress of the
war and the end of il.
Badly needed is an executive
committee of the United Nations
to steer such activity-a group
that would include the United
States, Great Britain, Russia and
China as the principal fighting
allies. An executive COMMITTEES
would be the temporary governing
body, under which an inter-allied
organization would function when
Governor Lehman's activity was
incorporated in it.
Creation of such a United Ma
tons executive committee is
strongly desired by the principal
allies. Chinese government off,
Gals have publicly urged it. In
all capitals is felt the need Of
having a going concern in action
as soon as possible so that the
organizations and activities &c
grow out of the war can begin
to take shape under it. This
kind Of gradual evolution. rather
than overly ambitious and indi-
gestble plans. is the way that
predetermined officials here see
as the surest road.