Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1943. ASSURING FREEDOM FROM WANT.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 April 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1943. ASSURING FREEDOM FROM WANT.

CONFERENCE of United Nations representatives which is. to meet shortly in the United States is still being spoken of as the “food conference,” apparently because it was first heard of in an announcement by President Roosevelt in February last that the American Government was sponsoring an Allied conference to deal with post-war food problems. It has since been made clear, however, that the object aimed at in calling the conference is to open for consideration and discussion from the broadest standpoint economic problems and policies as they will affect post-war international relationships. In his preliminary announcement, President Roosevelt told his Press conference that the United Nations would send representatives to the United States this (northern) spring to a food parley which would lay plans “for the abolition of the cycles of famine and over-production which have periodically wrecked the world’s menu and have made for a never-normal granary.” Obviously the programme thus indicated must extend to many other questions than that of regulation of the production and marketing of food. An idea of the actual scope of the proposals put forward by the American Government was given by the United States Under-Secretary of State, Mr Sumner Welles, in statements made in Toronto on February 26 last and in Washington at the beginning of the following month. In an address at Toronto .University, Mr Welles said that what was proposed was that the United Nations should set up promptly the machinery necessary to cope with the whole range of post-war economic conditions and for the specific purpose “of assembling and studying all international aspects of problems under the general heading of freedom from want.” My Government believes (Mr Welles observed) that the initiation of such studies ,is long overdue. If we do not make a start now, there is danger that we shall be brought together to make the peace with as many plans as there are governments. In effect, according to a Washington commentator, the American Government’s immediate proposal is that a United Nations economic council should be created now to explore and report its recommendations to member states on common economic problems. It is now agreed very generally that post-war security must depend upon an effective agreement between all peace-loving nations to combine in policing the world —an agreement under which forces will be provided and maintained capable of cle’feating at its inception any new attempt at aggression. Thoughtful people everywhere are likely, however, to agree with the implied contention of Mr Welles that economic understanding must go hand in hand with political co-operation if measures to safeguard security in the post-war world are to rest on a firm foundation. If at the conclusion of this war, the American Under-Secretary of State told his hearers at Toronto the governments of the United Nations are not afforded by their peoples the opportunity of collaborating together in effective policies of recovery, or assuming a joint responsibility for making completely sure that the peace of the world is not again violated, there can be no result other than utter disaster. The proceedings of the impending food conference, so-called, thus promise to be of commanding importance and interest, not least to New Zealand and other countries of the British Commonwealth. In the years between the last war and the present one, we had an extended and somewhat shattering experience of the results of what might very well be called international anarchy in both political and economic affairs. On the other hand, in stress of war, we are now witnessing and participating in a wonderful development of international co-operation. The enterprise of endeavouring to extend into the coming days of peace all that is best in the spirit and methods of this co-opera-tion is one to which this country and many others may wisely give all the support in their power.