Evening star., 1944-02-27
Union Urged
Central America Hopes
to Form Federation
By ". Viera.AIfamirano.

| ny w. ycVUsAuN1VVNW
Editor OF Diario de Hoy, San salvador.
while Russia's breaking up
into rs separate autonomous ma
tions IS bound to complicate in
ternntional cooperation, on this
side OF the ,UOrld there is a nlope- !.
ment dtoOt for the political and
economic union OF tue independ-
ent countries, Which ,0onld doubt
lessly aid, rather than hinder,
postwar international co-opera-
ton. Such step is here dis
cussed by a prominent Latin
American editOr)
Central Americas hope Of fedora
ton, making one nation out OF five
Guatemala, Ell Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua and Costa Rica-is grad
ually being known and understood
in this country. So far Washington
has not formed any official policy
regarding the Central American
federation, but the American public
at large now looks at the idea under
a more sympathetic light. Postwar
planners, in fact, are taking the
Central American federation for
granted in their projects.
Representative Matthew ]. Merritt
OF New York suggests in his report
to Congress that for any postwar
plans the five Central American
states be considered as one. In his
book, Total Peace" Ely Culbertson
proposes, while dealing with an
organization for the maintenance Of
peace, a world council and an inter-
national police force, that these five
countries be treated as a unit. And
Senator Hugh S. Butler of Nebraska
in his unfortunate attack on lease
lend and the good policy
IN Latin America, also favors a
Central American federation. The
Foreign Policy Association has, at
various times, in different publica
tions considered the importance of
such problem. 1t could In fact
be said that there are scarcely anv
social groups within the United
states that are opposed to the
political union of the isthmus.
See United States Opposition.
l believe the above Is worth men,
tioning because federationist prouns
IN Central America. all popularlv
constituted, believe that the United
states. as the largest America n
nation, is opposed to the federation
among the governments themselves
the doubt is often expressed that this
country would look favorably upon
the reconstruction of Central Amer
lca along federal lines. The dolls >
diplomacy Intervention of 1901 !,
thought. ~ ''e'io Vi
however, developments of tn.
present war and a growing co-oper.
asloh among all nations Nighttime
against the totalitarians havs
brought 4 change and the Centra'
american Federation has becom.
problem OF world-w wide importan nc.
Inc economic, cultural, miljtar,
ana political cooperation is being
Planned thus for a united. feder.
ated, and democratic Central Amer.
lca. At this point, We NAV ask
What form will the cooperation oi
the United Nations take in recon :
structing Federated America? To
attempt to answer this question Is
the OBJECT of this article. I do no,
pretend to answer all the question,
related to this vast problem, which
may De subject to protracted dis.
cussion.
Many Plans Proposed.
| Firstly, the federation will adont
the following norms, all of interes,
to the United Nations:
A banking and monetary union oil
the five states.
A customs union, which. would
simplify customs laws. duties, ano
consular regulations.
A simpliflcation of all interna T..
tlonal agreements relat tive to rail
ar and sea communications between
the Central American states ano
other American nations.
A statistical union which would
result in the coordination of thu
industrial, agricultural, forestry
sanitation and educa tional policies
Of these five states.
The abolishment of all restriction,
aHecting commerce between the f,ve
now independent countries.
The consolidation of the five rail-
road systems, and the development,
OF new hydro-electric works.
A coordination of the military
forces for self-defense and for the
de1ense OF the Caribbean area.
Large Foreign Commerce.
This plan is important because
Central America is important as a
nation and as country. Guate-
mala, Ell Salvador, Honduras. Mica
ragua and Costa Rica measure l78-
0OO square miles. They have eight
million inhabitants. which is as
much as Colombia, and much more
than Chile. Venezuela, Cuba. Peru
or Bolivia. That is to say Central
America, as a nation, would be fifth
IN population among the Latin Am
erican countries. It's foreign COM
merce is more than 100 million dol
lars per year. 1t is the second larg-
est cof1ee-producing region in the
world, and the largest producer OF
bananas. 1t has more than 5000
miles OF railroads, and foreign cap
ital investment there scarcely
reaches 120 million dollars, while in
Mexico alone 1t reaches almost two
billion.
Practically all of Central Amer.
lea Is connected by modern high.
ways suitable for motor trafic. 1t.
coastline Is almost as long as Chile's
Along the Andes Plateau the density
OF population is nearly two hundred
persons per square mile, which is q
favorable factor for any large scale
plan OF industrialization. -
In spite of their political division
the countries of Central America
have achieved much economic prog
ress. Almost without exception
they have highly efYicient banking
organizations and private credit has
been established on q most solid
foundation. There are still large
lllndeVelonpd trarts of Ground c,,;+