FEELING OF FUTILITY

Chronicle (Levin), 11 December 1948, Page 5

FEELING OF FUTILITY

(N.Z.P.A.-

■ "y u • ^ -Reuter, Copyright)

High Hopes Held For Asia Go Unrealised

Reeeived Friday, 7.35 p.m. ' SYDNEY, Dee. 10. The f eeling' of futility and f rustratioh is shared by most of the delegates to the Economic, Commission on Asia : and the Far East* which concludes its j session at Lapstone tomorrow. The high hopes of producing soine- : thing praetieal towards the rehabilita- i tion and reconstruction of Asia and the Far East have been unrealised. The live-year master plan produced . by a working party for the development oi industry and agriculture hag *been shelved thr.ough laek of funds from tho United States and the International Monetary "Bauk. The Commission is still the" advisory body for the eollection and exchange of ecouomic data on projected sehemes of development. Following -his dramatie withdrawal from the Commission Dr. H. C. Gelissen (Netherlands) expressed surprise that the New Zealand and Australian delogations had supported what he termed an Asiatic bloe, and contended they had sui'rendered to pressure from this bloc more from necessity and fear of ihe nations in tlie north than from.' eommon.sense. He added that both countries would live to regret their aetions. ' • Tlie Indian delegate (Mr. C. C. Desai) denied the existence of a bloc and claimed full responsibility for pursuing Indonesia's application for assoeiate membership. "We are not aeting on Soviet instructions, " he add-^ ed. ' ' Our Premier, Pandit Nehru, has repeatedly emphasised the necessity oi the inelusion of this valuable area into the orbit of the Commission.'' Mr. Desai said that in his discus-' sions with Mr. Chifiey^ he had found the Australian Government in full agreement witb India. The issue had been hanging over the Commission for three meetings. Now a deeision had been reached and a linal settlement between the contending parties might be speeded up. Ile had hoped the Commission would become the Asian eounterpart of the European Advisory Council. This had not been achieved. Much valuable time had been devoted to, polemies and matters not concerning the Commission. The New Zealand delegate (Brigadier F. Munt) said: "Any appreeiation of the Indonesian Ilepublic 's admission to the Commission must be tinged with regret that the Netherlands had found it neeessary to withdraw. I sincerely hope this withdrawal will be of the briefest. The Asian countries were elearly and strongly in favour of admitting the repubiie. This fact canhot be ignored. " He added that it was regrettable that the present session had been overshadowed by poutieal issues which were largely irrelevaai. Mr. Myron Co'hen (Unitea States) said Europe was in dire need of blood tra'nsfusion aud was ready for itr whereas Asia was still in turmoil. While the United States was doing the best in its power to rehabilitate countries througliout the world another Powei; was doing its utmost to frustrate all the United States' efforts.