Milford chronicle., 1949-03-18
THE
HOEI1E n
TOur 81
REPORTER.
Issls sls;S:l w!
What ECA Means
IN WAsMINeToN

VOUR HOME TOWN Reporter
! has been particularly interested |
in the testimony before the senate |
foreign relations committee with
reference to the new appropriation /
of more than five billion dollars for
the Marshall plan. or the economic /
cooperation administration. for the
next fiscal period. What we were
particularly interested in finding out
was what this new agency and its
expenditure of billions OF dollars
for European recovery means to
the folks back in the home towns
and rural communities Of the coun-
try who are putting up the money
for its operation.
AS yet we have heard nothing
specific on this phase Of the opera
tion of ECA and we believe it to be
vitality important to the continuity
and success of the plan. The tax
payers generally are in favor Of
ECA for the reason they have been
told it may prevent another war and
that it has curbed communism in
Europe.
We believe, however, that If we
must keep going back to congress
for additional billions, since the esti-
mate is that it will take some is
billion dollars to do the job, the
taxpayers in the country should be
told just what they are getting for
this money. just what it means to
them, just what is their stake in
this plan and the expenditure Of
these billions. At this writing, that
has not been done.
Secretary of State Dean Ach-
esOn told the committee that the
situation in Europe from an eco
nOmic standpoint is vastly
more encouraging than IL was
two years ago." Improvement
can be noted in almost every
phase Of the participating cOun-
tries,Y Mr.. AchesOn said. Paul
Hoffman, the able administra-
tor Of the ECA, told the commit
tee that production in all lines,
steel output, sfactOry and mine
output, electric power output,
I freight traffic, crops, earnings
: and exports in the participating
4 countries all showed a high per-
: centage of gain.
Hoffman said he hoped Europea
countries would balance their buC
gets, that ECA's economic obiectiv
: could be attained by 1852. that h
would prefer continued high take
!. here to a slowing down in the Euro
: pean recovery program, and tn;
b he believed definitely that the &c
: program would end June 80, 1852.
: So far the ECA agency here
Washington has, with the exceptio
q of some information which has bee
given to the country by privat
sources such as magazines and othe
mediums for the dissemination {
:. news, given only information GOO
), for technical and business mag,
zines and other publications.
Il has not attempted to show
Joe DOakes cut in KeOkuk or
KOkOmO what the ECA plan and
: the expenditure of this money
means to him personally and to
the general welfare and we'll
+ being Of the community in which
10 Joe DOakes lives.
re- This reporter believes ECA
," overlooking a bet and a necessal
2 and important factor in the CO
IL tinued successful operation Of Il
Mt entire program unless it does ju
j. that The folks back in the Hon
Towns are generous, they belle
Is more or less vaguely that the Ma
~ ~ shall plan is good thing but st
lo they would like to know in a We
material and specific way just hC
they are benefiting, just what tn
are getting for this money, how
is being spent and how It affeC
each one of them individually.