The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-02-15

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agreed among other things to CO.
ordinate defense measures and Gre
ate a hemisphere front to deal with
postwar problems. The extent to
which the strictly military phases
of that agreement have been car
ried out can't be talked about for
obvious reasons OF security and
censorship. But in support Of this
military cooperation q start has
been made on these 500 health and
welfare projects which, taken to-
gether, form what is known as the
"Basic Economy" program Of the
ONCE of the Coordinator Of Inter
American Affairs, headed by Nelson
Rockefeller.
The extent of this Latin Amer
lean aid borders a little on the I'M
believable. While the various prof..
ects have received considerable at
tention in the rest Of the hemi-
sphere to the south, the work has
not attracted much attention in
the United States. The $25 mil
lion figure mentioned above does
not represent the entire cost. In
many of the projects, the Latin
American governments are match
ing the U. s. funds, dollar for dol
lar. But as the Basic Economy pro-
gram grows-Snd 1t is just getting
started-the U. 8. contribution Is
bound to increase.
ECONOMIC WAR AIMS
This expenditure is considered
necessary as part Of the U. s. pro-
gram of economic warfare. If this
country wants Amazon rubber, 1t
must insure that the rubber gather
ers in the jungles are kept healthy,
Just as the U. s. had to lick yellow
fever before 1t could complete the
Panama Canal.
If the U. s. wants these other
American republics to declare war
on the Axis, the theory Is that the
U. S. must make up for the Ger
man and Italian markets which for
merry took Latin American exports.
If submarine warfare and diver
gence Of shipping to war transpor-
tation prevent Latin America from
shipping coffee or bananas or SINH
lar crops to market, 1t seems to be
up to Uncle Sam to lend hand In
getting these one-crop countries
started on another economy, max
ing them temporarily or perhaps
permanently self-sufacient in some
other way.
Four hundred Of the 500 projects
alre ady under way have to do with
improving health and sanitation
conditions, and no one can argue
that health and sanitation are not
desirable wherever found.
Guayaquil, chief port Of Ecuador
and long known as one of the worst
pest holes on the American CONT
nent. Is being cleaned up. Quito,
Its capital, right on the equator, is
getting a new sewage system and
its first school for training nurses.
HEALTH FOR GOODS
All up and down the Amazon
and its tributaries, In Brazil, b.
livia, Peru, long, ridden with ma
laria, health centers are being es-
tablished to fight the mosquito.
Swamps near cities are being
drained, hospitals built, first aid
barges or floating dispensaries are
being stationed between the health
centers to care for the $4,000 mi
grants going into the iungles to
tap the rubber trees.
In Central America in Hon
duras, Costa RIGA, Guatemala, Ell
Salvador and Nicaragua new
hospitals and health centers are
being established, water and sewage
systems put in, sanitary slaughter
houses and markets built In an eff
fort to reduce dysentery, tubercu-
losis, malaria and other tropical
diseases which give Latin America
It's terrible high rates of mortality.
Supervising all this health work
for the Rockefeller organization is
Brig. Gen. George c. Durham, So
yeax- old Army authority on tropi-
cal medicine who was loaned for
this job by the War Department
General Durham has Tough
plaques in China, Japan, Java, the
Philippines and the West Indies.
General Durham Is now in the
West Indies, starting on a hard
itinerary through many Latin
American countries. checking up on
work already started. looking fol
new projects to defend the hemi-
sphere against its other enemy =
disease.