Stranica 4 [4]
XeAe2e November 526
- page four ¬
or middle@sized landowmership, combined with high standards of living
to which the working class is used, - there is insufficient labor ready
to live all year round in rural aréas under conditions that farmers could
caeety offer}; the Netherlands finally protested against a ppessure that |
aimed at forcing them to increase their prices and sala&ies andt hus to |
be deprived of the advantages of their past sacrifices and painful
economic reconstruction After weeks of heated discussions in the press |
of the three countries, among labor unions, in industrial organizations
and in special mixed committees, the Belgian Central Council of Economy
came out with a report and suggestions on the problem. According to these
data, salarkes paid out in Holland are from 40 to 60%, their purchasing /
power from 9 to 12.59 lower than the ones received by Belgian workers.
fhe cost of production in agriculture is 50% less in Holland than in
Belgium. “he situation is somewhat similar in comparison with Luxembourg
where the farming population receives per capita in governmental sub¬
sidies the double of the Dutch farmer. - mn October 14th, finally, the
Prime Ministers, the #oreign, Labor and Economic Ministers of the three
countrres met at Le Zoute for a conference that was to discuss the
prevailing @ifficulties. They agreed of setting up fourmixed committees
These committees are to study the four main problems: a wage and price
policy; the Dutch competition on Belgian and Luxembourg markets; the
intergovernmental coordination; the monetary and credit policye oun the
basis of their reports, another ministerial conference will be held
around the end of November. Competent circles feel that the situation,
although, difficult, is not without issuc. Temporary protective measures,
under study, m&ght bridge over the most pressing actual difficultiese
A long-time program, it is hoped, will eventually lead to a closer co¬
ordinationj carefully planned rationalization and re-equipmmant in both
agricultural and industrial pxewtumkzmm ent«rpriscs shea] reduce the cost
of production in the more expensive countriese
According to Luxembourg economic ciréles, the other economic
cooperation projett - the Suropean Coal and Steel Pool - meets with less
difficultées than does the Benelux unione The schuman Plan indeed, as
viewed by Luxembourg experts as the following advantages over Benelux:
the coal and steel pool establishes an economic unity, which is founded
on a supranational authovity and not merely on agrecments reached between
market of the pool's member nations has to be organized for one single
production branch (although a most essential one, especially for a steel
producing country as Luxembourg is) and does not claim simul taneous
remorganization and adjustment of the whole economic life at once; á
supranational suropean authority finally has the duty and the possibiiity
of compensating its member nations¢ in a wider fieRH for what sacrifices
it might impose on them in view of obfaining a higher Kuropean
intereste
One fear however is quite generally expressed by competent Luxembourgers:
it is that the Schuman Plan might develop into a huge costly machine and
lead to an international "dirigisme", an economic directorate. There is
strong feeling that such a trend already exists and that responsibility
for it lies with the socialist influences which play both in the Pool and
in Strasbourge Luxembourgers emphasize that such tendencies would be more
harmful to their own country than to any of the other Schuman Plan ő.