Crisis in Asia

An address with this title was delivered by Professor Belshaw to the third session of the school. He described the poverty and unhygienic conditions in countries of Asia and North Africa he bad visited, and laid much blame at the door of oppressive systems of land tenure. He quoted an Egyptian politician as saying that in the event of war against the U.S.S.R. only those countries with reformed land laws could be relied upon to support the west.

The Professor declared that while exploitation was a contributory factor to the backward conditions, more even distribution of wealth would mean little increase in living standards. The people of Asia needed to be led to higher standards of efficiency and complete changes in attitude to such question as religion, graft, the family, and modern science. Population, for instance, should be restricted, and cows in India should be catch.

The solution, he said, should probably be a third alternative to either capitalism or Communism Mean, while, however. India and China were going ahead trying to solve their problems by the two alternative methods, and their comparative success might decide the fate of the whole confinent.

Some disagreement with the Professor was evidenced by questions and discussion, but all agreed that his talk was informative and provoking.