BRITAIN WANTS SPEED-UP OF AID PLAN

Chronicle (Levin), 5 June 1948, Page 5

BRITAIN WANTS SPEED-UP OF AID PLAN

Received Friday, 7 p.m. LONDON, June 4. The Daily Telegraph 's Washington correspondent says Sir Oliver Franks ' job will be to speed up Alarshall aid to Britain. There is general critieism of the slow pace at which the European recovery plans are being put into effect. Part of this is dne to lack of staff on the Economic Cooperation Administration and part to the failure of t he - ■ participating- -nations, including, ■Britain- to subnrit'- details of eoncrete 'plaiis for which grants or loans can be made. " With the exception of relief supplied the Economic Cooperation Administration requires specific projects to be laid before it so that it can determine whether to approve contributions. within the tiime limit- of four- years. A decision as to whether grants or loans will be made depends upon ' the counlry 's ability to repay. Britain was tentatively allotted * £75,000,000 in grants and £25,000,000 in loans for the April-June quarter of this year, but so far no specific projects have been submitted. Questioned in London about the situation Sir Stafford Cripps said Britain would not accept loans unless these could be spent on capital goods which would inerease her dollar earnings ability. She would not accept loans to buy foodstuffs.