The Politics of Feeding the World The lessons of the Marshall Plan seemed obvious: Apply them to the developing countries and problems could be solved easily. But all war-tom Europe had to do was rebuild - the emerging nations were starting from scratch.

By JOHN MELBY

I N THIS article I am not using "politics" in the usual narrow sense in which it is commonly used to describe the manipu-

lation between political parties at Queen's Park or on Parliament Hill -the sense which carries an unpleasant connotation in the publ~c mind. Rather, the word "politics" is being used for a much broader meaning which includes all the relationships between people, the ways in which they get things done i n all aspects of their lives, how they manage to live together, hope- fully as peacefully and constructively as possible, and the ar- rangements by which society manages its affairs.

It is irony and even tragedy that the spectacular reconstruc- I tion of Western Europe from the devastation and destruction of World War II should be a direct cause for so many of our failures in trying to help the underdeveloped countries of the world to modernize and take their rightful place in the world. Unquestionably the Marshall Plan was one of the most original and brilliant concepts in the entire history of foreign policy in which one country deliberately and consciously set out to help other countries in a co-operative venture. Canada played a major and creative role in this undertaking. It had originally been thought that the objectives of the Marshall Plan to put Europe back on its feet could be well in sight within eight years. Actually, the job had been so thoroughly accomplished that the plan was terminated in less than four years.

While the reconstruction of Europe was going on, something else of at least equal importance was happening throughout the rest of the world. The vast areas and innumerable popula- tions which had made up the principal World War II colonial empires were demanding and acquiring their independence. Whereas in 1945 there had been 50 sovereign independent countries, the number had more than doubled 10 years later, and in another 10 years an additional 30 had been added. But for these new countries independence was not enough. They were also demanding, and rightfully so, decent standards of living, adequate health and literacy, and the Western world recognized that it had an obligation to help. Given the tremen- dous disparity in standards, it was an enormous job which had to be undertaken. At times it seemed an impossible one. But it was equally apparent that man had the technology with which to do the job and, thanks to modern communications, the peoples of the underdeveloped countries were quite aware of these facts and they were determined to share in what was possible.

The lessons of the Marshall Plan seemed obvious. Here were the blueprints which the developed societies would use in assisting the underdeveloped countries to enter the modern

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Coming Events -

April 20 OAC ALUMNI SEMINAR

May 1-15

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May 7-8

June 18, 19,20

GUELPH SPRING FESTIVAL (see below)

MAC ALUMNAE SEMINAR

OAC-MAC ALUMNI WEEKEND

and ANNUAL MEETINGS

Ticket Order Form Mail to:

NAME Guelph Spring Festival ADDRESS Box 1091, CITY TEL. Guelph, Ont. Please send me the following single tickets:

Performance Date Number Price and Locat~on Total C k d &Y 1 8 $5.00 (centre)-- @ $4.00 (side)- CHdUlnrtr - 2 $ U.OQ -.-- @ $1.00 (student)- D l 4 k x Tlrwm - 3 @ $2.W (orch.) @ $2.50 (bat.)___ Black Box Theatre &Y 4 @ $2.50 (arch.)-p @ $2.50 (bat.)- Black Box Theatre(matinee) h y 5 @ $1.50 (orch.) @ $1.50 (bat.) Black Box Theatre *Y 5 - 8 $2.50 (arch.)@ $2.50 (bat.)-

ELW- - 7 $5.00 (arch.)--- @ $5.00 (bat.)-

2 5 @ $3.50 (arch.)---- @ $3.50 (bal.)- lnlnnndk C ~ R € M _ @ $4.00 (centre)-- @ $3.00 (side)- - 12 _ - @ $4.00 (centre)-- @ $3.00 (side)- Burning Fiery Furnace -ICy- h y 13 @ $4.00 (centre)-- @ $3.00 (side)- -- Burning Fiery Furnace h y 14 @ $4.00 (centre)-- @ $3.00 (side)-- Nakbnil Irk Orh May 15 @ $4.00 (main floor)- --

@ $3.00 (lower bleachers) - @ $2.00 (upper bleachers) - - --

P h send nw kanon @ $20.00 (A Snson licks+ CWHI the 8 wmnts p i n t e d in d at vvimg sf 510.00)

I enclose m y chequa/money order made out to the Guelph Spring Festival $ (Chmqun may bo pow dmtd up until Mmy 1, 1971) TOTAL

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