Prof. Niculescu

Free Help to poorer nations has, beyond a certain point, a blighting effect on national and personal development. Any feeling of indebtedness by underdeveloped nations to others should be replaced as soon as possible by a position of mutual benefit.

These Points were stressed by Professor Niculescu, speaking on "the economics of hunger" at Monday's teach-in.

Today two-thirds of the world's population is suffering from hunger or malnutrition. Predictions are sharply opposed regarding the situation say. twenty or thirty years hence.

Some forsee large-scale famine and death by starvation. Others, such as Professor Simkin of Auckland consider that with the application of today's knowledge, ten to twenty times the present amount of food could be produced.

Professor Niculescu felt that this figure could be affected by difficulties in applying agricultural knowledge in areas of diverse conditions.

Food, though basic, is not the only necessity. Along with it, the underdeveloped nations need medical care, housing, clothing and education. He pointed out that even these things will be foregone in some measure by people to obtain additional "pleasures" in life, such as smoking, jewellery or spices.

The problem of help for underdeveloped nations is not just one of food but involves a much wider range of many goods and services, said Professor Niculescu.

Though there are some stagnant societies in parts of Africa and Asia, on the whole attempts are being made to reorganise production. These can be either internal, as in China, or there is the possibility of outside help.

Help is obtained from other nations in the form of tools, knowledge, encouragement of trade in return for necessities, and raw materials. Aid given so far has been largely on the basis of capital equipment and technical knowledge, apart from food. This forms a major portion of international help and is the only large-scale raw material aid given.

China, for example, receives a great deal of food though this mostly on a trade basis. India, in the present exceptional famine conditions, is receiving an exceedingly large amount of food.

He felt that if free help were to be given, gifts of food should be combined with technical aid. In this way a strong, well-organised technical understructure would be developed to enable India to move more quickly into the whole field of increased production

To cater adequately for the whole population would take thirty or forty years, taking into account an annual 2 per cent population increase and the fact that under-nourished people cannot work so hard.

Consciousness of world responsibility for the less privileged communities was considered a generally accepted consequence of increased solidarity among nations.

This emphasizes the widening gap between rich and poor nations.

Communities asking for help should ensure that it is temporary and should have a sense of urgency to rectify the situation for otherwise handouts could induce apathy.

As soon as India's present pressing needs are covered. Professor Niculescu said, measures such as greater private investment and a freer flow of population will be necessary.