Evening star., 1949-12-18

Ormal grafton, as many Thought al
ways an undiluted blessing to q
country. 1t sometimes promotes
imitation. encourages extravaganza
and, by drawing workers away
from their habitual tasks ano
abodes, can have harmful eco.
nomic and social consequences
These dangers the future admin
istrators of Point w must keep In
mind.
In almost every under developed
country from the English Channe.
to the Pacific Ocean religions ano
social customs. as we'll as military
policies. actually encourage larger
families. China's ancestor wor-
ship, for instance, puts premium
on descendants. Asia's teemine
millions breed the lowest possible
standard of living. Sir C. v
Raman. eminent Indian scientist
tells his countrymen: IF you will
live like pigs, you must die like
pigs"
Even in industrial Europe, rails.
ing the standard of living through
American aid tends to be a tread
mill proposition. Not only in the
Catholic Mediterranean lands, but
elsewhere as we'll the numbers
seeking uplifting grow and grow
In Italy some 100000 little 1tal-
ians have swollen the hungry pop.
ulation from 100000 prewar tt
46, 100000 today. During the same
time the sturdy Dutch. despite
hard times" have grown from
8,500,0oO to 100000, an expan-
sion of more than II per cent In
II years.
The spreading realization o1
such facts in the Congress ano
among the public is a barrier in
the path of the point four propa.
ganda group being organized by
James P. Warburg. who calls "the
bold new program" only a little
plan" and wants to make it a big
one. Mr.. Warburg. Morris L. Cook
Dewey Anderson and others would
broaden the geographical scope
and the functional scope o1
point four.
On the State Department will
fall the burden of organizing the
national education campaign tt
put point four across. The depart.
ment has had successful expert.
ence with such efforts In the
cases of the Breton Woods pro.
gram. the loan to Britain, interim
aid and the Marshall Plan. But
now 1t must provide answers to
former Assistant Secretary OF
State Spruille Braden, who in sew
eral thousand words details why
he thinks point four "a fantastic
utopia"
Legislation Pending
The administration hopes that
its point four legislation now be-
fore the Congress-(a, a $45. 5.000.-
900 technical aid bill and CD a bill
permitting the Export Import
Bank to guarantee American
capital going abroad against risks
peculiar to such investments"-
will result in a substantial outflow
of new American capital. And ii
hopes that such new investment
will take the place of most OF
what the Federal Government
has been doing to improve condi-
tions abroad. But businessmen
who have studied the measures
express doubt that these bills
alone will provide the necessary
favorable Climate. The State De-
partment thus is under some
pressure to negotiate with foreign
countries bilateral investment
pacts.
Even a willingness of capital to
flow abroad would not insure
point four success. The World
Bank in it's last annual report
threw a bucket of ice water on
that idea. Money alone" it said
lis no solution can be a posi-
tive detriment. Perhaps the most
striking single lesson which the
bank has learned is how
limited is the capacity of the
underdeveloped countries to alb
sorb capital quickly for really
productive purposes"
Aid of the point four type
technical "know-how"-has long
been given foreign countries by
the American Government and
even by American private business
interests. In addition, of late, in
ternational agencies such as the
World Bank, the Food and Agri-
culture Organization, UNESCO
World Health Organization and
the World Fund. ETC.. have par
ticipated in such efforts.
Not Exactly New
The ECA has had an important
role in spreading American in
dustrial and agricultural know.
how abroad, at considerable cost
to the United States taxpayer
The Agriculture Department ane
the Public Health Service have
been in this work for years. Their
there are the Interdepartmenta
Committee on Scientific and Cul.
tural Cooperation. the Institute
Of Inter-American Affairs ano
the Export-Import Bank. If there
is to ne anything new about poin,
four. it must be in its scope
rather than its nature.
American businesses for many
years have had point four" pro.
grams of their own, according tx
Secretary of Commerce Charlie.
Sawyer. The Pennsalt 1nterna.
tional Corp, for example, has sup.
piled to companies in Europe
technical information developed
only after long and costly re.
search. Others take great trouble
to bring foreign workers here fol
training. Then there is the de.
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