The Eastern Economist February 16 1951

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has drawn attention aready to the portents of a grim strueg'e for the maitenance of Britain's balance of payments and consquently of the recently accumulated reserves. [...] It was just a happy coincidence that the Republic of India should have commenced the task of improving the welfare of its members to which Government and the Planning Commission are now devoting their attetion with the compilation of the data necessary for a coherent programme of action. [...] While this trend would undoubtedly result in a net addition to the population despite the lower birth rate the icreased proportion of the older age groups would prvide the basis for the optimism than the growth is not due to the alarming possibility of an increase of the net reproduction rate. [...] Small's recent Report to the Congress of the United Saes has disclosed some interesting infomation for the first time about the extensive purchases of the Munitions Board of the Department of Defence —compendiously referred to as the stock-pile—and among the details disclosed is the fact that the goal is now pitched at $8.869 billions. [...] The restortion of the original ration will not however now apply to the families of manual labourers and the position in this respect is to be reviewed next month; with the expected arrival of imported food and increase in stocks there would be no reason for postponing the relief in respect of the families of manual labourers also.