Evening star., 1950-07-02

landowners, foreign and particu-
larly Yankee capitalists and "eco-
nomic imperialists," are now
among the more conservative
leaders and officials of the coun-
try.
Only a few years ago. brilliant
and youthful Ramon Beteta was
one Of the most ardent of the
Mexican leftwingers. Although a
graduate of the University of
Texas, and married to a girl born
and raised north of the border.
he was outspokenly anti-U United
States. and extremely critical Of
United States capital and busi-
ness interests in Mexico. Beteta
is today Mexico's Minister of
Finance and one of the chief
architects Of the present trend in
economic policy. He and the
others will still insist that they
are Cardenistas. Which is to say
that they are still imbued with the
spirit of Cardenas, even though
they have departed from most Of
his policies and methods.
Even Mexican labor leaders have
become about the most moderate
in Latin America. Only Vicente
Lombardo Toledano, an old hench-
man Of Cardenas. and founder of
the important Mexican Confedera-
ton of Labor, has refused to keep
pace with the local labor move
ment of his country. He is still a
militant leftist and his early
friendship for Communist Russia
remains unshaken: For this the
organization he fathered has de-
nounced him and expelled him
from it's ranks.
L Many Of the great !. landed
estates of the old families have
disappeared. Some were divided
into, small holdings and parceled
out, to the people. A number Of
the largest haciendas are operated
|by the Government, or they have
been handed back to the villages
rs communal farms, q system, that
prevailed even before the revolu-
ton. But 1t Is no longer unpopu-
lar to cultivate large plantations.
or to own large tracts Of land in
Mexico. Cardenas himself has
become one Of the important
landowners In the country.
Still Want Oil Loan
The bulk Of the oil industry,
formerly owned by large foreign.
principally British and United
States companies. were expro-
priated. or as the Mexicans insist
"nationalized." It is operated by
Petroleos Mexicans, locally known
as Pemex, government corpora
ton and, monopoly. But a few
private foreign companies. in
cluding United States firms, are
permitted to explore for oil in
cooperation with Pemex. Some
of the original United States COM
panies were never actually taken
over, although they must sell their
product to the Mexican monopoly.
Pemex still hopes to negotiate
a multi-million dollar loan from
the Export Import Bank for the
expansion Of the industry. A year
ago, when Mexican officials were
in Washington actively seeking
such assistance. the State Depart
ment objected to a loan on the
grounds that there was ample
private capital for such enter
prises. Furthermore it would create
a precedent that might have un-
fortunate repercussions in other
countries.
The State Department felt that
If money were loaned to Mexico
for oil exploration after the Mex
leans had appropriated United
States oil companies, governments
in other countries might feel in
clined to appropriate such inter-
ests. At any rate, similar loans
to Brazil and Chile had already
been refused. But White House
influences still seem to favor such
q loan to Mexico. In Mexico City
some Of President Miguel Ale
mans friends are reasonably sure
that such an agreement" will
eventually be worked out.
Monopoly Cry Dies Down
Such large foreign-owned enter
prises as hydro-electric and tele-
phone companies are no longer
harassed or threatened with out
right appropriation by the gov
ernment. Today they are even
encouraged. and assisted In i'm
proving and expanding their serv-
ices, In some instances they are
allowed TO raise their rates, a
thing unheard Of In the heyday
OF Cardenas. and even under
President Manuel Avila Camaclao,
his immediate successor. The
Mexican Power and Light Co.. one
Of the largest In the country. long
controlled by United States and
other foreign capital. has only
recently been granted q loan of
$26 million by the World Bank.
The loan is guaranteed by Ma
niNv1o1 Eivao s,ciaVo q MovfNo,. svc,,
ernn1ent agency, similar to the
Reconstruction Finance Corp.
Economic cooperation with.
Uncle Sam excites little public
criticism today. Vast irrigation
and hydro-electric projects and
the opening up OF new agricul-