Evening star., 1950-07-19
Point -Four Is Still Timely

The Senate Appropriations Committee has
shown good judgment in reversing itself on its
recent decision to provide only $10000,000 to
launch the Point Four Program for the economic
invigoration of the worlds underdeveloped areas
The reversal boosts the sum to $34, 500 900, or
Just $500000 less than the total requested by the
President. AS a result, assuming that the COM
mittee's lead is followed by Congress as whole
the enterprise which is to be backed by United
Nations funds as well-will have the wherewithal
for sound start
This start is purposefully designed to be
modest-a kind OF preliminary move aimed at
laying the groundwork for a systematic and
relatively inexpensive program of long-term
global development. Unlike such proposals as
Walter Reuthers plan for a 100-year effort cost
ing trillion dollars Point -Four is project that
rules out grandoSe schemes. It's objective is
the down-to-earth one of making the most of
economic potentialities in specific areas (like
Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia)
without expecting to accomplish overnight
miracles. What is sought Is steady progress
toward better living standards over a period of
decadeS-progresS of a sort that must be
achieved fairly slowly because the regions in
volved are not adaptable to swift change via
large-Scale expenditures.
AS far as the United States is concerned, it
undertaking but our contribution to it-accord-
ing to the architects of Point Four-iS not meant
to involve heavy Federal expenditures. Actually,
through number of private and public agencies,
the program has been in effect on a miniature
scale for many years past The difference now is
that 1t is being enlarged, in concert with the
United Nations, into a global enterprise to be
carried out Systematically under overall inter-
governmental direction. Essentially, however,
1t is the same as projects that have been going
on for long time, on a limited basis in num-
ber OF underdeveloped regions-such as the
Middle East, where some of our oil companies
have been active in improving living standards,
or in Latin America, where our Government has
had considerable experience in cooperative
EFFORT to promote economic and social betterment.
Wholly apart from our limited dollar out
lays the main American contribution to the
Point Four Program is supposed to take the
form OF exporting technical know how" to the
underdeveloped areas. Beyond that, the success
OF the project will depend largely on the in
VeStment OF private money, the application of
1ree-enterprise effort and the amount of initia-
tive shown by the peoples and governments in
the regions to be covered Given real co-opera-
tion all around, there can be little doubt that
the undertaking-over a period of decades
can transform the present status of todays
backward countries by exploiting their industrial
and agricultural potentialities in way that will
ease friction between the "haves" and have
nots," counter the forces of Communist sub
version and aggression, help meet the problem
OF the worlds rapidly growing population. and
In general contribute to the building of a good
peace.
O1 course, II the Korean crisis explodes into
general war, the promise implicit in Point
Four will be blasted away for the duration.
However, since the hour is not yet here for
despairing altogether of the possibility of main
tanning peace and of eventually getting the
Russians to cooperate in making that peace
much more tolerable than it is, the program is
timely one that can play an important part in
the free worlds effort to make itself strong
beyond the challenge Of any aggressor The
senate Appropriations Committee has done well
In acting in accord with that fact.