The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-10-19


 social cooperation, Every business man with any kind of c stake ut all in international trade -- even down to the importer of two bags of coffee or the grower of surplus wheat which must Do sold at eX- hort--hNS an interest la this bee cause it Is tho first effort to set up ono central, inter.goVernn clearing house that will know what s going on in tho world of Inter- national trade, and will advise and consult with nations in an effort to keep them out of the economic snarlS that eventually lead to war, NO OVERALL CONTROL
 The first thing that the Dunbar ton Oaks planners make clear about the proposed arrangements for in- ternAtional economic and social cos operation iS that they are not try- ing to set up government, Nothing like that is in the picture. Individual governments stlll have final determination on how their in. ternational business affairs are to be conducted, But the United Na- tipnS organization as proposed would have the power to make studies and Go commend certain courses of action, subject to ratlfl- cation by as many of tho nations us might cure to go along on any pro- gram,
 The need for this kind of inter. national economic cooperation be comes apparent when you consider Nll the agencies now at work in ono particular field of regulation, Since the start of the war there have been the United Nations Con. ference on Food and Agriculture at Hot Springs, the International Monetary Conference at Woods Hole, the International Conference on Civil Aviation opening Nov, 1 in Chicago, on Allied Conference Of Ministers of Education in Lon- don, an International Convention on Communications still to bo are ranged for. The tendency has been al towards setting up these one- subject agreements, letting each go its separate way and hoping that there would Do no conflict between them, Recognizing that this kind of international loose dealing could not go on forever, tho United Na- tions Food and Agriculture 0rgani- E0tion charter makes Speelfi pro' vision that It's activities shall be co.oFdlnated with tho broader Unit. cd Nations Organization when and If that body lS established,
 ONE.C0MMoDITY AGREEMENTS THE RULE IN PAST
 Before the war, trade agreements were usually made between only two nations, or when more nations entered Into foreign commerce regulation agreement the subject covered was usually eonhneh Co the production and marketing Of one commodity
 There were, for instance, tho in- ternational agreements on coffee, sugar, wheat, wool, tea, rubber, tn and beef Somo Of these arc still operative, thought shipping disrup. tionS have mado normally regulated trade impossible. But it is eontom. plated that if the United Nations organization for international eco. homie cooperation could bring the activities of all these one-eom- modity agreements within its pre-. view, it would in fact Do prepared to tackle the problems Of cartels- viewed by many students of Inter- national affairs as one of tho pre0t- est threats against maintaining world peace,
 The machinery with which the charter proposes to handle these questions eenters in the General Assembly of oil the nations. The Assembly would name i8 nations whose representatives would make up an Economic and Social Coun. ell. Its members would serve for three-year terms. The Council, In turn, would set up an economic commission c social commission, and possibly others covering speci- fio fields such as transportation or communications In each commis- sionswould be c permanent staff of experts. Under the social comnlis- sion might come such eXSiting organizations as the International Labor Office and sanitation and health control. The Job of the Council would be to tic them all together in one bundle,