Mr. W. J. Hall

"We are halfway to '1984,' and Orwell's increasingly prophetic novel is coming to be confirmed in detail."

MR. W. J. Hall, of the VUW Asian Studies Centre, told the "Operation 21" teach-in this last Monday. He was speaking on "a way to grow more food" in relation to India's current problems.

"To the extent that the food problem in Asia is solved. New Zealand will be free." Mr. Hall said. "On the solution or lack of solution of the problem of world food supply. New Zealand's future will depend."

Speaking from his personal experience of India. Mr. Hall said that the average Indian today has barely half the amount of food at his disposal that his parents had The average ration available is only two-thirds the adult ration and while millions of children did not need more than this, they were not available for production of it.

He saw four strategies which might solve the problem—economic, social, and administrative revolutions, and external aid.

But only administrative revolution seemed likely to succeed. "The dynamics of a Marxian situation are missing in India (unlike Vietnam)," he said. Land is being handed out in small parcels. The farmers now work for the village moneylender instead of the landlord. Over two-thirds of India's farmers are in debt to village moneylenders.

Attempts by the Indian Government to improve farming yields under the national Community Development programme, and later under a decentralised scheme tried in Rajasthan, had encountered this problem. Increased yields meant merely more for the moneylenders and the farmers had no incentive to work.

He proposes a pyramidal system of bureaucracy, internally disciplined by reinspection at each level, with a credit system for farmers financed from taxation previously levied. The farmers and the moneylenders would be included in this scheme.

"But I don't really think it will be adopted," he said. "It will. rather, be Orwell's '1984'—bombs and terror."