Evening star., 1949-07-03

modernize them. Mine equip
ment has one Of the highest
priority ratings on her list of
purchases.
Western economists here are not
sure Yugoslavias S exports can pay
for all she needs. Last year. her
| foreign trade still was only "a per
cent of the preWar average. Yet
her hunger for foreign machinery
has grown tenfold.
Getting Equipment
Local estimates put Yugoslavia s
present capacity to export at no
more than $25O,OO0,O0O a year.
Therefore, any imports over that
would have to be financed by for
eign credits-long term or short.
Preliminary credit talks are al
ready on foot with United States
banks. Credits are also being dis
cussed with Britain. Agreement
will probably be reached. The
Western economists agree that
Yugoslavia is fair risk for medi-
um-term credits. On the other
hand one of the highest Yugoslav
officials told this correspondent
that his country at present want
ed only medium m-term loans. rum
ming three to five years.
1t would be a mistake, however,
to think that the five-year plan
has been suspended until trade or
credit agreements are concluded.
There is substantial trade going
$12O,000,000 with Britain
alone-and much equipment is
coming in.
In Slovenia last month, this
correspondent saw the first prod
ucts of the five-year plan on ex-
hibit-dental machines. hydro
electric equipment. cranes, ball
bearings. movie projectors. motors.
locomotives and serviceable trucks.
patterned after an American
model.
In suburb of Liubliana, capital
of Slovenia, I saw Litostroj, in
which some of the new machinery
is being built. An impressively
modern plant, Litostroj was still
stretching out into the neighbor-
ing fields with the brick-and-glas
fingers of new buildings. And half
a mile away rose rows Of hand
some four story apartment build.
ings for the workers.
Discount Growing Pains
The apartments had parquet
floors, larke kitchens and plenty OF
sunshine, But the bathrooms still
lacked tubs or showers: Dutch
tile stove served for the moment
instead of central heating. and
the kitchen had only an old-fash-
ioned f1rewood range. Yugoslavia
can build the apartments; she still
lacks the pipe, glass, bathroom
equipment for them.
The shortages-and the apart
ments-are part of the growing
pains of an industrial nation.
YugoSlavia has had more than her
share of mismanagement, poor
planning and bad blunders. 1t is
typical. for instance. that while
typewriter factory is in the works.
one will shop long before finding
a hair comb, or that while one
ministry is trying to reforest. an
other one is chopping down trees
faster than they can be restored.
But the officials here insist that
neither 18th century America nor
Bolshevist Russia escaped growing
pains-and blunders. Yugoslavia.
too. they say, will eventually
emerge strong industrially and
prosperous. They admit serious
suffering and popular grumbling.
But the Yugoslavs, they declare.
are tough people, accustomed to
sacrifices. They will endure more
for the sake of industrialization.
The ability Of the people to
!: endure actually Is the key ques-
tion in Yugoslavia. The next
three years will show If the Yugo-
, slav leadership is right in its
prognosis.
, North American Newspaper Alliance)