457 $1000 or more 19% 7To $500-1000 less than $120 13% 16% $200-500 $120-200 The chart above shows the average per capita annual income in the capitalist and colonialist sectors of the world. Constant hunger for one billion ave you ever gone to bed hungry? How would you like to do it not for one night or two, but for night after might, dreary week after week, every year of. yaur life? That’s the grim lot of more than half the 1.8 billion men, women and children of the non-Socialist world. * * = In North America the mi- grant farm worker is prob- ably at the bottom of the economic heap. He and his family earn something less than $900 a year and suffer from all the ills and evils: that accompany such mas- sive poverty. It’s inconceivable, but the migrant farm worker’s stan- dard of living is something most of the people in the other non-Socialist nations dream about. Here are some facts: e@ About 10 people out of every 18 in the capitalist world live in countries where per capita consumption is under $200 a year. That’s 58 per cent of those 1.8 billion. @ About three people out of every 18 live in nations where the per capita income ranges between $200 and $500 a year. That’s 16 per cent. e@ About one person out of ~ every 18 lives in’ a country where per capita income is between $500 and $1,000 a year, That’s 7 per cent. » @ Only about three people out of every 18—or exactly 19-pér cent—live in a coun- try where the per capita in- come is $1,000 or more a year. . * * Thus about 15 out of every 18 people in this part of the world live in a world of hun- ger and its attendant evils, disease, illiteracy and a short- ened life span. Only 14 nations are fortuh- ate enough to be counted in the high income or “have” category. All are in the North Atlantic community or the British Commonwealth ex- cept one—Venezuela. Eight countries are in the $500 to $1,000 group, six in Western Europe, plus Israel and Uruguay. The $200 to $500 classifica- tion includes 37 countries and about 40 territories. Three are in southern ,Europe,. the Caribbean area, the Middle East and Asia. , * * * In the 1958 fiscal year, 14 nations—not all of those in the highest per capita income group—disbursed about $2.9 billion in loans, grants and technical aid to the under- developed areas. In addition, international agencies such as the United Nations, International Labor Organization, World Health Organization, etc., gave $420 million in assistance. The Committee for Inter- national Economic Growth took a look at the problem and what has been done to ease it and came up with this: “During the decade up to 1958 the low-income coun- tries taken as a whole have been able to expand the total production of their economies by an average annual rate of 3 per cent. But since popula- tions have been expanding at about 2 per cent annually, the net betterment has been only 1 per cent annually. “Translated into personal consumption, that means that _the average person in the low-income areas was able ¢z. Raw n deci aa mg: eyvusuime apout $19 TO $ZU more at the end of the de- cade than at the beginning. * * * “Some, of course, did bet-. ter and some did worse. For others, living standards actu- ally deteriorated, for - there were seven or more countries which experienced no growth. at all or slipped back on a per capita basis. : “During the coming dec- ade it has been estimated that the low income areas could double the rate of net growth achieved during the past dec- ade — from 1 per cent to 2 per cent a year. This would raise per capita incomes for the less developed world as a whole about $120 to a bit over $140 by 10 years hence. “It is the consensus of ex- perts that this would require an increase, over recent rates, in the flow of external capi- tal and other assistance on the order of $3.5 billion an- nually from all sources, pub- lie and private. “After taking into account anticipated expansion of ex- isting programs there re- mains a gap of something over $2 billion a year to help the low income world double its recent rate of, economic others:in‘ South America,’ tHe ‘‘growth.”* ° (''- MARK 13th ANNIVERSARY China solving problems on way toward socialism By BERT WHYTE Pacific Tribune Correspondent PEKING — Thirteen years have passed since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. They have been years of great achievements and grave problems but the achieve- ments far outweigh the setbacks. Visitors to China who spend a few weeks or months in the country are usually im- pressed by the tremendous advances made since libera- tion and so they should be. The base has been laid for industrialization of the coun- try. Literacy has replaced illiteracy. Agriculture, after three hard years, is getting on its feet again. Light indus- try is turning out more con- sumer goods than ever be- fore. OVERCOME OBSTACLES Since coming to China two and a ‘half years ago I have witnessed the heroic struggles of the Chinese people to overcome all obstacles (not the least of which is their fuedal past), and build social- ism. I have watched with ad- miration their determined efforts to conquer A rampag- ing nature, to endure hard- ships of many kinds, to ree- tify planning errors, while continuing to advance stead- ily along the road to a better life. What is the situation in China today as some seven hundred million people cele- brate their country’s thir- teenth anniversary on Octo- ber first. Here is the balance sheet as I see it: Direction of the economy is up; life in China is better this year than it was last year and there is every reason to believe that conditions will continue to improve. But the current “adjustment” period may extend over rather a long time and no new five: year plan seems likely to be introduced for several years. Emphasis in the _ present phase of socialist develop- ment is on the correction ‘of imbalances in the economy, consolidation of past gains, expansion of agriculture and ‘other industrial centres _the shortest possible a steady rise in living stand: ards. SITUATION IMPROVES : The food situation’ is ™™ proving. In the communes basic responsibility for or84™ izing production and carrying out distribution has largely shifted from the brigades to the small work teams thus giving peasants in the fle a more direci hand in ma agement. When China’s com munes are :nechanized brie ades may again become basic unit but it will take several years for such a situ: ation to develop. For example, China h® about one. hundred and te} thousand tractors whieh Gam tivate only eight per cent % the farm land; it will require fifteen years or more to pro’ duce the million tractors needed to mechanize the © tire countryside. Heavy industry is helping agriculture by stepping up production of tractors: pumps, farm implements 7 all kinds and chemical fert) izers, while at the same Hmé not neglecting the needs w nationai defense. There }§ ‘ certain “marking time” 1” ee lation to capital construe tion. In steel the emphasis : on quality rather than ava? tity and the proportion © alloy steel is increasiné: China has unlimited coal a posits; the problem is 02 ©, extraction. “SPEAK LESS, DO MORE Light industry, hit by ™ recent crisis in agricultur® — making a remarkable come back. It may require years ; conquer the chronic cotto shortage. Development ie synthetic textiles, still i? t experimental stage, will nell The wool and silk situate is normal. Shanghal are rapidly building a large Pp tics industry. The central task in chin’ today is to readjust relatio”” between agriculture, light ? dustry and heavy indus The primary need is 1° agriculture in good shape ue se! time: The food situation is improving in People’s China while a strong industrial base has ‘been laid for building the economy of the country, says Pacific Tribune Peking cor- | respondent Bert Whyte in the above cabled story. Top picture shows a steam fur plant in Shanghai Picture above shown. good crop of grain in China's northet” province of Heilungkiang. iz pine Jas" Goa fe