A/1/PV.32 General Assembly

1 call upon Mr. Belehradek, representative of Gechoslovakia. Mr. BIZLEHBADBK (Czechoslovakia) : The Czechoslovak delegation considera that the matter should be deeided from the practical point of view and that it should net be treated narrowmindedly. The United Nations Organisation is ody in its lnltial period no!/, and a longer term of office might be useful to rts stability and workiug efkicncy. B4zsh4 the sphit of the Charter seems to indieate longer periods, having flxed two years and three years for the Seeurity and Economie Couneils respectively. In sqreement ‘with the views expreaxd on ti question by my French eolleague, 1 recommend, therefore, that, -: quite exceptionally, the twenty-months period be -adopted for the members of the Councils elected foroneyearatthebegiiof@is&emb.ly. -~~.~~.- _. _ -.~ .i -Y-T?7 e-z.:: ~~ . , ‘IIE Prtnsrnn~ (Transktion frorn the ~~~~ pFrench) : ?iYhe dimmion ia closed: We are now going to vote, and 1 wonld ask you to pay very careful atteation so tlut no confuslon may arlse. The resolution eonsists of two paragraphs. We will first determine the ttxt of the first paragraph. TWO amendments to this paragraph have been moved. One is that the words ‘<twenty months” bc replaccd by the words “twelve months,” the Mr. MA&CHEN (Uruguay) : Is i: clear that if I vote for eight months, 1 cari vote for twelve ,;pl9nths if @ht mon& is not accepted? .r:.ir.-:i __--... ._..: ~., The hL!aDENT (Translation from the Fre&) : If the twelve-month term is defeated, you wiIl then be able to vote even for twenty mont& (A vote was taken by roll-cull.) Voted in fauour: Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Liberia, Norway, Uruguay. Voted aguinst: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Byelorusian Soviet Social& Republic, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, CeechOslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Greece, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippine Commonwealth, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Union of Soviet SOcialist Republics, Ukrai- .&&t &&Ii& &Public. Abstention: Cm.da, China, Union of South Africa, United Kingdom, United Statër of America, Venezuela, Ira% Absent: Guatemala, Nicaragua, YugOslavia. The PJCE~~~T (Translation from the Frewh) : The result of the voting is as fol- Iowa: The amendment is rejected by thirty-four votes against, seven in faveur, 6even abstentions a@ three delegations absent. We now corne to the vote on the New Zealand ~~ndment. Those in faveur of a term of office of twelve months Will answer “Ye3”; those against such it. term will answer “Kc”. -(A vote was tuken by roll-cafl.) . Voted in faveur: Argentina, Austral&, Bolivia, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Liberia, Luxp~>~ou; Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama Philippine Commonwealth, Turkey: Union 01 South Africa, United States of America, UNguy, Venezuela. Voted against: Braz& Byelorussian Soviet %. &d& Republic, Chile, Colombia, Czechoslo- ~~ ~~ -~&a, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Irak, Lebanon, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arab=, Syria, Union of Soviet Social& Republica, Ukrainian Soviet So&&t Republic. . Abstentions: Belgium, United Kingdom. Absent: Guatemala, Nicaragua, YugoaIavia. The PRESIJBNT (Translation from thc French) : The observation made by the representative of Uruguay is correct. Now that we have decided in favour of, a tw&e-month term of office, we shall have to change the final Word5 of the first paragraph and make provision for electionstotaLeplaceatthesecondpartof-first kxsion. Mr. MACEACHEN (Uruguay) : As the Assembly may be confused, 1 will withdraw the Uruguayan amemiment SO that the New Zealand amedment cari corne into its own. I The PRES~ENT (‘SAution from the French) : The New Zcalnnd ames&ux& bas alxady been voted on. Mr. MA~EACH~N (Uruguay) : 1 am speaking ofthesecondNewZealandame&mem.

That is exacily the eame thing. Whether it is proposed by the Uruguayan delegation or the New Zealand delegation makes no difference, the terms are the same, namely, that the words “second regular session” should be replaced by “second part of the frrst regular session.” 1 would point out, moreover, that the Asxmbly is bound to vote for tbis text, otherwise there would be a conflict between what has just been adopted and chat may be decided at a latex stage. 1 therefore put to the vote the proposai that ihe words %t ihe second regular 5easiors” be re pied by the words “at the second part of the first regular sesion.” 1 think we cari vote by a show of hards. Wili those in favour of the New ZealandamembSmplea3erai5etheh-hand5? I dl upon Mr. Dulles, repr~entative of the United Statea of America. ML DULLBS (United Statea of America) : 1 notice that, owing to the fact that this resolution waa drafted by the General Committee at two d&ck in the morning, there ha5 occurred an &&OIL There was a Word in the original text to make it clear that we were only diacua3ing penple who are elected for a term of one year. 1 would like to have unanimorn consent to change the text, SO that it would read: “Resolved that it is the XIIX of thia Assembly that membera of Councils elected in Jan’uary 1946 for me yeur under tbe provisional rules of procedure, et cetera.>’ Ihat was the original draft, and apparently there was an inadvertent omission The PRESIDENT (Tran.Aztion from the &ench) : It is certain tbat the Assembly only dealt with the term of office of one year, but I would bave no objection to adding the words -now suggcsted, if it did not read rather oddly: “Resolved that it is the sense of thia Assembly mat members of Councils elected in January 1946 for one year under the provisional rules of procedure shall hold office for twelve mont&” 1 tbink it would be better if it were unanimouely agreed that the discussion dealt only with those members of Councila who were ‘eleeted for tht OIEy~Wlll. If there is no objection,, it will be SO reeorded in the record of this meetmg. Deeision: The President’s proposai was adopted. The PRESIDENT (Tranrlafion from the Frettch) : We ahall now vote on tbe resolution a3 a -whole as it stands after our debate. I do net thinkitisn~toreaditagain,andIask hse in favour..of its ad-option to mise their llallds. +(A vote was taken by a show of hands.) Decision: Tire resolution wg..,&jted by forty-two votes. 72. EXTR&DITION JIND PUNISHMENT OF -.wAR CRIMINA.LS: &PORT OF THE 'FEtsT C~MITTEE: RESOL~TION m.m.-mme (DOCUMENT $/50) The PRESIDENT (TrBnsZution from the Pmch) : The next item on the agenda is the report of the First Committee on the extradition and puti~iunent of war crimii. 1 cd upon the Ra porteur of the First Committee, Mr. Viteri IL Ecuador. onte, repreaentative of A large number of war criminah have tried to escape justice by going underground. Thcy must be hunted out and returned to the countrie~ wbrrr tlxy committed th& crim+ and be punished in accordance with the laws of those COUD tries. But this cari only be accompliabed provided an atmosphere of mutual aid between the GOVemments of the Member States of the United Nations is e&ablish.ed in the strugglc with interm&d t&nids, and providcd thtse Govem mea& take eikctive measurez to endow ti rcsolutîon with fie& and bkrod and bring it into thc rcalln of reality. There carmot Le any doubt tbat the public opinion of the world will greet our de-cision with the utmost rratisfaction, because it betokens thé great aucces~of the United Nations in establiiing t.he principles of justice. and international law . The re&ution on tht &mdition and pdhment of war crin&& will be a great cotiibutiontothecauseofintemationalpeact*~ CUity. The PRETADENT (Translation from the lorench) : Tkre are na other speakers on my list. We rihall now take a vote. Are therc iiny objatiens to the draft reiolution? 4s there.are z3one, 1 consider the resolution adopted. sDe&ion: The resolution was adopted. ~[T& .meeting adjourned ut 6.12 p-m. and. ~P-Preass~n&d ot 6.16 p.m.) ~~~~~ ~- ‘573. WORLD SHORTiL@ OF CEi3EAI-S: DFl&.‘$ RESOLUTION pBows~L~ BY THE DELEGQTIOLVI OF CHINA, FRAWL I 'iHEUNIOZ?OFSOVIETS-Tb. - 1 call upon Mr. Bevkl, reprcSentative of th): United Kingdom. Mr. Be~ei (United Kingdom) : In my openiag speech to the General Assernbly’ ,I referred to the grave shortage of food grains and suggcsted that this confronted us with a situation which would require the unitei xtion of ail of us, that is, every nation reprcxnted in this Asaembly, if we were to overcome it. 1 bd a great many things to mention in that speech, 60 1 was not able to say very much about food, having regard to the time at my disposal. In auy case, as my friend the Prime Mi&ter of New 7~aland laid a few dayz ago from this rostrum, news whieh has corne in since the Assembly began, since 1 made my speech, bas shown the position to be w0rz.e than we originaUy thought it. z In November last year, when the Food and Agriculture Organization held its first meeting at Quebec, papers were presented which showed thwe was likely to be a serioua worid rrhortage of ceds. ‘Il& was followed by a further ezamination in Washington, and the latest figures rather ebow a worse position than was then an- ..-ticlpated. In fact, 1 do not exaggerate thc aima- %ionw~Isayitisreally&&ng. May 1 call titention to the basic figures wticb have been published, in order to remiud you of the position? In the fin& six months of 1946 it it &imated that .the, wheat and flour which im- .’ portiug countries need to hnport from oversear will amount to over seventecn million tons, and that supplies which cari be exported and whick are in sight from all countriw against this re. -, puirement would be about twelve million tons :gat kaYW na with a,~J.he mîuion tas ‘. If ,,- Idesiieatthi3stagetoroaketipolntquiu elear..I am only speakiug of supplies whlch havi to Le moved across the seas, and 1 do not in ckle those supplies which neighbouring coun triei may exchangc overland. There will be a mm-good deal of ex&ange overland between oru mmtry ad another. But when that bas beer done, we are lckwitbth @zci%k@& in~J@+i =FPliee. ‘Se O~cicd Rscord of thr nuotinpr of thr C’rwra Committrr (6rrt part oi thc bt xuion of thc Cienua hbly), pt e 61. ‘Ste page A. Added to this, we have reports from South Africa, where again the trop bas failed, and indeed tbis makies it likely that tbe new tstimatea will show the detïcit to be even larger than the I Thcre is a second question mentioned in the draft resolution to which I would call your attention; that of rice. Here there is a large deficit ~JI the cahlati~ns of required imports and available exports which cannot be 1~ than two million tOnS. lt is true that these calculations are somewhat dependent on tbe wheat calculations, because in certain areas wheat and rice are partial substitutes for each other. The rice position &o bas the appearance of being worse tban was orisinally calculated, and if you look at the rice position, you will see that we are dealing under *bat heading with nearly a tbousand million of the world population Who may, in tbe next few months, be faced with famine. It is really a terrifk figure, which calls upon the whole of the United Nations Assembly, irrespective of d&cultics or any political considerations, for the ut resolute detennination to overcome it. fivc million tons which 1 have already mentioned. Onc result of the war bas bcen to lave many town-dwellcm reduced to the hunger bel, indeed, J w+d say below the hunger level. 1 -uld-call Ws, therefore, is the position, that if the state t$ ahirs were left to take its course the result would be certain famine and starvatin in many amas. It may be that even with our available suppliey, witb proper distribution and organiaed efforts, we cari avoid that starvation, but if it is left to take its courxe, some areas might get suppliea, some areas might not; and the whole world will be faced with this devastating consideration. But 1 do not agree that this is nw, because 1 believe that the Governments of the world, now faced with this problem and recognizing their interdependence, Will collectivdy face the situation and adjust their policies, so avoiding such-~ am$Jph& ~-:--;-;:l Y- -L=.~-- What arc the steps that cari be taken to prevent tbia sufferiug of a rnw of human beings, B suffering which ii3 not of their own seeking? It results from a disturbance of the whole economic life of the world, due to war. If statesmeo will only rise to their respoosibilities, 1 believe they will take the necessary steps to overcome these disturbauces due to war, As the fïrst step we must sec that every ton of food available (1 should not say every ton, but every Pound, every ounce) is properly used and not wasted. The second is for Govet~ments to collaborate for the pu&ose of secming an adequate and fair distribution of surpluses. Aud may 1 say that it is not su6kient to make this a pious resolution. 1 do make the most earn& appeal to membercl of this great hsembly tb t thcy will make it a part of their Govermnents’ policies ready to tackle tbis problem, because civilization itstdf depends on ouf solving this food problem. In addition, we canuot really deal with reconstruction unhi the next four monh are surmounted effeetively. The third step is to sec that all the grain ia uxxl as economically as passible. My own country bas begun an an&waste campa& We have also increased the extraction from wheat, in order to use for human consumption the maximum amount from the wheat berry. 1 am happy to think that the United States ia doing the same, and that reporte show tbat other countrie~ are awakening to the problcm. The value of making wheat directly available to the human bcing in a + cri&~ of th& kind in very important. 1 arn aware ti;atallofUYlikevariety,andtoeatouFfoodiri the form of meat, chicken, eggs, et ceter% is very nice for us; but when faced with famine, the whole value of the food eaten by tke l~uma~ is vcry important. It L truc that the stepfi we a& tobetakenwillmakeonrdietiuelfverymonG:otutus, but it is a que&ion of sm-vival; it i;c h%tcr to bave a survival of ouipeople thwugbut fhe world on a monotonouu dkt than to havc no survival at ail, mand to hâve dcatks running through the whnle of humanity. 1 would emphasize that the period in front of us must be dealt with as a crisis period for another year; in other words, regarding food, we must coxsider that the war is still on until we cari beot the encmy, famine, and 80 get our peoplc back to good nutritional standards. Therefore? if we avoid waste, pool our resourccs, do everythmg that is possible, and if all the peopley of our rcspcctive countriey are made conscio~ of the difliculties, then 1 am of the option that thk United Nations Organization, and thc effort WC are MW making, will bring a boon and a * to ,mankind. .& _’ ’ --~ : &,>.- - f .I. SO far as the coming year i5 conccmed, 1 a& that the greatest attention should bL: paid to growing food in order to tide over next winter. Wq are fully aware of the difficultiea that arise & the organization of agrkulture and thc ri& that are involved, but it tr/iems to me that more sowing iy ntmxwy, and every ton of ~X~IX grain produced this year will mean an easing of the situation next year. In my own country we are taking btep to increzise the acreage that i5 to be SOWR May 1 aay a Word to the importing countrk When we have been in the habit of living ùpon imports, and exporting other commodit& a reliance growa up that the food will always be forthc~ming. But importing countrk tlxmselv*r must do ail they cari to save themrrelveu during thla cri& SO that, together witb the help of the ex- ~porting CO& and the impor$ng countries, we wiil overcome this d*pulty, w~th great credit to the foreaight, orgam&ion and ability -of, +l! Govs represenluxe. - :y: _. .-‘.: . ~ .~ F;_- - _--. Ilappily, thia kc a thing in whi&we cari all xmite,andifwcdnsuccecdinmaint&lnga decent nutritiona standard and thereby m&ntain the virility of our peopl$, it Will turn out to be a gwd inlrcdtmtat, for $mwma~ @85i&-& tbr contibute to thc future happinenr of mankind. -. Thc PRJZSIDENT (T~urülrrtion from fhe French): 1 call upon Mr. Stettiiri~ represcntative of t.he United States of America. Mr. STETTINIUS (United States of America) :- 1 shah speak very briefly as 1 know the hour is getting late and there are otherspeakers in support of this proposai. .* The United States is deeply conccrned about the food cri& which faces such a la+ part of the world. During and after the war, my country succccded in produclng and shipping greater quantitics of food than ever before to nations in necd of it. These effortu, and those. of othcr geat food-producing countries, have not been enough to prcvent the prescrit crisis. Thc war bas left behind its inevitable aftennath of suffering and hungu and star+ion. Crops have failed just when they were needed most. We must do more. We shah do more. . +$F .t ~--~ *L+x+ The Prcsident of the United Statts bas ah~dy orderezl important steps to enable the United Statcs to scnd more grains and other food in the next few months, cspccially to thccc countks threatened’ with starvation A vlgorous nationwidc campaign to conserve food and to Elie- _ &rate, in particular, thc wask of bread, has been launched. The use of wheat in the direct production of alcchol has been virtually forbidden, and theumofothergrainsforthispurposebasb~ severcly limitcd. Thii step alone will save for food about twenty million bushels of grain in the fint half of 1946. The wheat fleur extraction rate (Mr. Bevin mentioned this, too, m bis speech a few moments ago) in the United States bas bcen increased to cighty per cent, and distribution of ilour ha9 ban limited to amormts t3ent.M for crurent civilian dktributioa ‘I’his alonc will save _ about twenty-five million bushels of wheat during thc fht half of the çglrerrtyetu. ~. ..~ -. -=-ii.? -l:‘=-- -.7- Fr-?~~-p!“s~~~~~5~ _ _ ._ -s,w; ~ -x _ tj i-ml= -es ,r.,l--~~~~~,~~--~~~~~~~-~ -.7x. -.->~~~--i’~~‘~“?. -.- ,--~ ----oh &&~cQ uw controls have bcen ordered over ~~entaies, rail movements and aports, 80 that greater quantities of food pan be directed to the countrks most in need. Stepa have been tahcn to aport in 1946 about four hundred &owd tom of fats and oils and ovcr orîî and jr&& b&npounds of meat and to incrcsx thc Because the world food situation will rcmain troubled and uncertain for some thne to corne, we particularly welcome the request, contained in paragraph 4 of the proposed resolution, to international organizations concerned with food and agriculture to prepare the best possibSe statistica on future probdbiities, as well aa prcsent facts. Without &Se stathticu, iVXlly effective iflter-national action Will ée impossible. The initiative in th% task should fall to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It should enlist the co-operation of other organizations which possess data on the world food situation, tiuch as the Combimed Food Boa& UNRRA and the Emergency Economie Committee for Europe. The United Statea supports the pending reso- .lution wholeheartedly. It welcomes and supports the proposai of thc Food and Agriculture Organization to call a conference on the food crisis at thc earliest possible moment. The United Statea believes that adoption of these measurea will demonstrate to the world the intention of the Membera of the United Nations to act together vigorously and promptly for the survival and welfare of men and womckx2kad q--of individual human beinge. Starvation breeda urne& and its effects linget on long after its causa bave been removed. Al- That is the underlying purpcne that hae brought us togethes 51 the United Ntitlons. That i5 the over-riding factor that cuts across evexy conflict of national interest and every political qu&ion which bas been brought before this Assembly or the Security Councll. It is not easy to preserve peace and freedom among hungry men, wherever they may live, whether r.t be in Greece, -for in Indoneaia, or inIran, or in any other part of the world. most everywhere today there are peuple suffering,millionoffamilk,eachoneofwhichis 1 appeal not only for the unanimous adoption of this resolution. but for the wholehearted anplication of the purpcne which it rep~&&o ail the great problems whieh now and hereafter we must work out together aa friends who spcak frankly to one another but are united by tbc higher obligations of the United Nationa Charter inthecauseofman~. The PRES~ENT (Trunslutio» from ths French) : 1 call upon Mr. Well&toa KO~ representative of China. Mr. Wellington Koo (China) : Food is lifc. Thc problem of food is onc vital to ail humanity. The pnzent acute shortage of ~cere.als throughout the aorld, ‘especially of wheat and rice, comtitutes a critical situation which only thc determined and concerted efforts of all Govemmints and peoples cari overcome. China before the war wm an importing country, her chief importa being wheat, flour and rice. During the war, enemy blockade, both on land and sea, tut off all her food supplies from abroad. Thc occupation by thc enemy of thc principal wheat-pmducing proin North- East ami North China, and of the principal riceproducing regiom in the central and lower Yangtze valley, further dimimshed the normal sources of supply within China. Large numbers of farmem and farm workera were forccd, during the years of war, to abandon their famis for various reaxonu. Many of them were conscripted to serve in the armed forces, while other; 4ed for safety to Free China when their fanns were occupied by the Japaneae. Those who remained in oceupied territories often did their best to reducc: nroduc- Fortunately, at diherem periods the Chine~ Government adopted a number of measuree by which increaeed production was achieved in Free China by meam of irrigation, reclamation of waste land and distribution of improved se&. Other measures, auch as control of dirrtribution, prevention of waste and restrictian of the use of .riee for making wines, were aho put into effect. -By theae wartime measura china waa just able to feed, on a minimum ration, her fighting forces and her civilian population throughout Free c&inaduringtheeightyean,ofwar. It is tbe aame witb shipments of wheat from abroad. China is among the ten countrieu whose total wheat requiremcnts, already approved by UNRRA for six months from January to June 1946, are a lit& over four million metric tons. Bccause of thc shortage of exportable su from whcat-producing countria, UN RRI plk has found it nccessary to accept a substitution of ryf. corn, barley and oata for one-quarter of t.his total requirement, leaving about thrce million metric tons to be supphed. Yet, up to the end of January, agaimt a reduccd monthiy quota of half a million metric tons for shipment in February, UNR&4 had received only about three hundred thousand metric tons, or a little over half of the rcduced quota. This mcans that the Chinme peoplc and thc peogle of the ninc rcccivhg countries in Europe havc to face further seductions in their daily food rations. But my main purpose in speaking ta you today is net to tell you about the food situation in China, nor about thc step already taken to meet the minimum requirements of ‘our own people, but to join, in the name of the Chine~ delegatien, in the urgent and moving ap cals, which you havc just beard made by Mr. L vin of thc United Kingdom and Mr. Stettinius of the United States, to the Governments ami peopb of ail countries to help in evcry way possible to meet the scrious situation cre&ed 9 the shortage 01: wr&, capwia.uy of wheat and rice. 1~ is thz abject of the resolution now before the Asdly. Unlw concerted and co-ordinated efF~r& are ma& by aB countriea to wnwve fxisting suppliea, to auocate thun fairly, to prevent all was& to encourage and.stimulatc increased pfoduction and to exchange the fuIlest information on the subject, .either directly or through existing international organizations dealing with agriculture and allocation and distribution of food supplie&-unleas tke and other useful measarc adopted, the next fcw months will, 1 am afraid, bring starvation and suffering in many parkof thc worhi, w&b dire connequencçs for peace, ardu ami stability, without which no re COIXUUCtiOIlOf~ykiUdCanhCup8ertakue. If WC arc to build a durable worhi peace WC mllstfhtoectoitthatthcpcoplcsofthcwtrld France nc se ft%ite de voir porter devant l’Assemblée des Nations Unies le probltie capital du ravitaillement mondial en bld et en riz, c<s deux él&nents d vité, et son repr&entant au Conseil dconomique et social avait fait porter sur ce probl&.ne le prmcipal de son intervention dés le 29 janvier dernier. Je suis donc heureux de l’initiative du vemement britannique et nous devons, je pense, le remercier de l’importance particulière qu’il a souhaité donner à ce débat. Celuixi a pour bdt d’informer nos veritable caractère et, en même temps, d’attirer i’attention de tous les Gouvernements maures concer&s qu’il est LulispensabJe de prendre pour réduire les graudes souffrances qu’entraîue la p&mrie des c&&des et prévenir les immeaea The gravity of the problem has not been under&imated by my country, whose representative on the Economie and Social Council devoted the greater part of h.is speech to it on 29 January last. 1 am therefore glad to note the initiative taken by the British Government, and w,e should all, 1 thiuk, be grateful to that Govexnment for the special importance it bas desired to give to thk disction. The pur-pose of the debate is to inform our peoples of the situation and the truc facts, and at the same time to draw the attention of all Governments to the concerted measures which are essential in order to Iesxn the great suffering brought about by the shortage of these. foodstuffs and to forestall the itnmeme difficulties it may cause. Governments have respomibilities, as public opinion in their countries does not hesitate to remind them on occasion. But it seems to me a bad thing to allow people to become embittered agaitnt their Governments and to make it too easy, e+.en for those whose vocation it is.to criticize, to voice unavoidable grievances. On the other hand, the people of every countr~ instinctively feel it easier-for reasons of humau feIlowleurs opinions publiques savent lzr leur rappeler. Mais il m’apparaît qu’il n’est pas bon de laisser les populations s’aigrir contré leurs gouvernants :t agrandir trop &ment, i’hommes promis par vocation A la critique, le hamp des griefs iA4tables, D’autre par& les lommes, dam chaque pays, en vertu d’un irisinct où il entre, avec d’autrea 6l6ment.s moins ?U~S, de courage leurs peines s’ils savent que d’autres, ~II delA des frontika ou des mers, ont a montrer e mûne courage devant les inEmc3 misères. Peut- Itre est-et le cas de cita le proverbe espagnol pi dit: “Malhtu~ de tout ie monde malheur de ?erson.ue.” lue, de cette ions viement se dire franchement les uns aux mtrey et dire franchement au monde: “Si l’on -que XI de riz, si l’inquiitude du kmhmain se fait ship as well as on other k noble gromkls-to bear their troubles more bravely if they know that others beyond their frontie-ra or Overseas are obliged to show the same courage in the face of the same hardships. There is a Spanish proverb which says: “Everyone’s misfortune is no one’s misfortune.” It ia right and no doubt morally salutary for the delegates of the nations to speah frankly to each other from this rostrum and frankly say to the world: “If in one part of the world or another thtre is a serious shortage of wheat or rice and if the fears of what the morrow holds in store are felt even more severely in some quartus of the globe than the present food shortage, such a situation is not primarily attributable to the defects of any particular policy or system, to ‘the indifference of some or the neglect of othenr or the enors of ail; the e3entia.l truth is that, after a world war, we are confronted by a world shortage”” Once that fact bas been acknowledged and tk ~features of the situation have been analwe muet tum our attention to the remedies, and undertake to use them effectiveIy in a common effort of goodwill in order to meet the common danger. Unless htmranity tales that course, it mu& lose ail faith in itself and be heading for clhfktr. esentir plus p6niblement encore sur certaim x>ints du globe que la p&mrie d’aujourd’hui, ce l’est pas tekment la faute de telle ou telle poliique, de tel ou tel sy&n~ de l’indifférence des ms ou de la nkgligence des autres, ou des erreurs ie tous; la Ait4 essentielle après une guerre mondikie3 deviwt upe db&e U0ndiale.>’ zette situation Ctant anal* le cette constata& et de rxtte analyse pour con- Jenir des remèdes et s’engager à les fournir et% xcement dw4 ctttt commue bonne volonté :e commun effort où Phuma&, devant le péril xxnmun, doii se sentir pouss& faute de uoi elle n’aurait plus qu’à doumr d’e&+ême et a courir ilamine. Before thc war my country pmduced each year &ght or nine mihiion tons of wheat, a quantky st&&nt for its own consumption. In 1945 the Freneh harvest amounted t0 olrly four fiOn &ree humhi tbougand tom, about one-balf the normal trop. The reasons for &Sa exceptional situation were two-fold: on the one hand, as a remit of the war, smaller areas were sown owing to the upheaval caused by tbe fighting and the laying of mines, there was a shortage oi fertiliws, mari-power was reduced owiug to the mobilixatien and there waa a considerable decreaee in the number of tractors and agricultural implements. On the other hand, the weatber was unfavourable: there was frost in May,‘followed by a period of drought such as had never been seen in France for fifty years. On tbia acco~nt, the efforts made by the Govemment to improve production, in spite of the adverse circumstancee, were unsuccessful. Fmthermore, at the beginning of 1945 there were practicahy no stocks left over from previotn harvesu~ Confronted by this critical situation, the French Govermnent decided to ccntirme bread rationing. Until 1 November the average daily ration was three hundred and fifty grammes. On that date, anticipating larger imports and an improvement in the harvesting of wheat, the Government suspended rationing. It was not long before it realized that this measure was not yet practicable and, at tbe end of December, it decidecl to reintroduce rationing and to lower the average daily ration to three hundred gramme per person per day-this in a country where bread forms the staple article of the daily diet. It cannot be aaid that the suspension of bread ra. tioning for two months aggravated the &tuat.ion, aince in point of fact, this action only cost about om htmdred arkd flfty thousand tons, whereaa tire annual consumptiot~ in France witb rationing b force amnunts to nearly five million tons+ ‘I&x drastic cute in the ration fell most heavily on town-dwellerx, who, as you are aware, are -3mable to procure other eastntial foodstuHs, au& as pomoea, fats and meat, to make up for the +dequate bread ration. The laet report of the ~OMlXliC COmmiuee for Europe shows that French people in the towns receive a daily ration of no more than fifteen hundred or two thousand calories. France fùtds herse& therefore, for thc &sttimenodoubtinhuhistory,inthesrun~ categoly aa the worst fed wulltriq such r& 1 muait ah0 say a few words about the responaibiitits shared by the Government of my countty with other Powers in regard to the Gennan population, whom we are obliged to provldt with minimum rations. While it must be clearly understood and pro&irned that the Gennan people cari in no case be given better rati~nr than the nations of liberated Europe, the fact re- .& that the Gemxans cari receive the bare, a tential minimum only by means cf impOrts. 1, for my part, feel convinced that the negotiations w( are at present conducting with the Other respon -sibIc Governments will lead to satisfactory s01u xions, and that Our joint efIorts to feed the Ger ‘?nakl people will not reduce still further thc essetltial supplies of the victori@.natiPns, wh% are &&Y 50 nw3= ~_ -_. ‘.~-- r.‘~I_ __ *~ Thfxe cari be 110 purely national solution fol thkt problem, which concerns other cxxrmri~ SU wdl a3 my awn. The co-operation of the United Nations alone cari bring relief to a hungry worlc and that is why t.Le question has today beer brought becore this Assembly. This is a pre&n~ problem and one which, we hope, will only lx with us for the next five mon& until the bar. vests are gathered in thç Northern Hemisphere. Faced as we are with a world shortage c>f wheat, we must at the same time put into effect technical measura to ensure that wheat if used aolely for human consumption (thesc meaaureu are aheady applied in France), that the whole “3f the 1945 trop is mobilized, that the 1946 sup *-pliez are made avaikble as quickly as pQESible, and that reyerye stocks are reduced to the minimum. It will abo be necessary to provide for thc -3naximum use of secondary ccre& to raise thc ,@action rate in many countria and perhaps, - -- if thc crisis is prolonged and spreads to other countriea, t9 restrict consumption still further or to make ratio&g uniyusaL A considerable and immediate increase in the wheat acreage should likewise be encouraged. : The time is MW past when ao-calkd overa@ duction, which was merely the re$t of a ack P of hman solidarity ad unequal d.istrlbuti~n~~ placed a momtrouu burden on certain countrie~ d-bile others were suffering from starvation. ’ . *%‘h& we bave to do today & to prepare the gmund, sow and produce, under the barmer of .international co-operation atrd an organization .,$or distribution capable of achleving the twobal resourca aid thù rue&, and countriea which are perdicdly threattned or decimated +y famine, to he,amured of the elementary means ’ ’ of au- I have already said how much we ri appreciatv -de effort made by Great Briti. 1 should &Ü f&e to express our confidence in the eMicacy of the meaaureu t+en or to be taken by ’ +the big prod&ng countnes, the Umkd State~ Zwd Canada in particular\ I earne&.ly hope that i $l countria w3l follow thek exampie. Before 1 Clor, may 1 ask you quite opdy, t mincing my -words: what would l be the ; auourdiscussionsandalioureffortsto fi rgamze the ‘world and the peace if we were to ‘~ - &,t our qea te & a vitd preblem? HOW- ~~iübory our laborious debaks on somt puticular diplomatie or polillcal kisuea afïectiug 8ecurity would appear ir, the eyes of thti world if the mxuity, net of a riation or a continent, bu: of the human beings that inkbit it, were to Le _ - _ ._ . Thursday, 14 February 1946 at 3 p.m. ,. CONTENTS ;F<E 74. World Shortage of Cereals: Draft Res- ’ z -’ otution proposeri by thc Delegaticms .of China, France, tbe Union of So- , * $Tuiet Socialist Republics, the United Kingaom and the TJnited States of America: Report of the General 1 --- Co+-u$tee (Continwtion) . . . . . . . 3B4. c 75. &que& for an Advisory Opinion from _, -the International Court of Jtntice on . .“-he intcrpretation of Articles 11 and 12 of the Statute of the Court: Re-. ‘port’ of the General Committce: . ++Qhdrawal of the item from the Agenda ofthe Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . 499 36. &pr~n -of nOIi-gQWTSSIkl& Bodiea on the Economie and Social : -~ %ouncil: Report of the First Committa: Rescfution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 77; Modification in the Terma of Refer- .+ce of the Permanent Headquartem committee: Report of the Gentzal committee ,.. ,,. . . . . ..< “‘.. , . 535