Common Assembly

The Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) held its second extraordinary session in Stras-bourg from May 6 to 9, 1955, and its third ordinary session in the same place, May 10 ot 14; the third ordinary session was scheduled to reconvene on June 21. At the extraordinary session, the Assembly heard a report by its president, Mr. Pella (Italy), on his talks with the governments of ECSC members on various political matters. The Assembly approved a provisional budget of 78 million Belgian francs and also decided to establish a working party with 26 members to report to the Assembly on the procedure which might be proposed to ensure a more precise formulation of the Assembly's powers of control over the Community and the common market and to study the problems which would arise in the event the members of the Assembly were elected by universal suffrage.

The Council of the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) met in Geneva from April 27 to May 4, 1955, after a week-long meeting of the ninemember Executive Committee. The Council approved a $48 million budget, of which $2.5 million was earmarked for administrative expenses. The $46.6 million operational budget would finance the processing, transport and resettlement of the 142, 165 Europeans the Committee hoped to move in 1955. The major countries of immigration were expected to be Australia, United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Venezuela; major countries of emigration were expected to be Trieste and Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece, Netherlands.

The fourth annual meeting of the International Commission for Northwest Atlantic Fisheries was held in Halifax, Canada, from June 14 to 18, 1954, under the chairmanship of Dr. Stewart Bates (Canada). The Commission received and approved a report from the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics recommending modifications and additions in the Commission's system of collecting and compiling statistics. With regard to haddock regulations, the Committee had referred to one of its panels the question of a proposed amendment to the regulation exempting a specified maximum percentage of the catch of haddock to ensure that there was no hardship to fishermen. Upon the recommendation of the scientific advisers that there was no undue hardship, the Commission noted that important principles of exemption were involved, and furthur serious consideration was required. The Commission received and approved reports which dealt with the status of the fisheries, its research programs in relation to the more comprehensive research program adopted by the Commissionn i 1953, and commercial fishing regulations. The Commission chose Ottawa, Canada, as the site of its next meeting which was to be held in June 1955.

The thirteenth plenary meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee was held in Sāo Paulo, Brazil, from June 7 to 16, 1954. Senor Garibaldi Dantas (Brazil) was Chairman of the meeting. Representatives from 25 member governments and observers from 15 other governments and from three international organizations were in attendance. The Committee heard reports from its officers and a review of the world cotton situation and statements on the cotton situation in various countries. Seventeen resolutions were adopted. The first five related to the financial affairs of the Committee including the budget for 1954–1955; others: 1) asked the Secretariat to make preliminary inquiries of technical and research bodies regarding comparative information on fiber properties of commercial cotton; 2) suggested that governments should consider action to encourage an increase in world consumption of cotton; 3) asked governments to submit information regarding the results of technological research on the properties and utilization of cotton and the organization and financing of agencies conducting such research; 4) invited the attention of national and international organizations to the fact that the most effective and lasting way of increasing cotton consumption was to raise the standard of living in underdeveloped areas; 5) asked the Secretariat to secure information on new and improved products of and uses for cotton; 6) asked governments to consider an international cotton welfare program outlined in a report on expanding world cotton consumption; and 7) asked the Secretariat to continue providing information on the use of synthetic fibers.

The International Whaling Commission held its sixth meeting in Tokyo, Japan, from July 19 to 23, 1954. Represented were all of the seventeen member governments except Iceland. Observers were present from Argentina, Chile, Italy, Portugal, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Mr. A. T. A. Dobson (United Kingdom) acted as secretary of the meeting. The Commission approved its expenditure of £1,854 for financial year 1953/1954, and adopted a budget of £2,580 for 1954/1955. Attention was called to the great waste of resources represented by lost whales; the Commission accepted various suggestions from its technical committee for tightening up the present procedure with a view to reducing the number of infractions in the future. It was decided that the use of helicopters and other aircraft for the killing of whales should be brought within the scope of the Convention. A large number of recommendations emanating from the scientific committee were dealt with. The scientific committee's recommendation prompted a large number of proposals for the amendment of the regulations in force. At the invitation of the Soviet Union, the next meeting of the Commission was to be held in Moscow on July 18, 1955.

Fifteenth Session

The fifteenth session of the International Wheat Council met in London from June 16 to 21, 1954, and discussed the current wheat situation and its effects on the operation of the International Wheat Agreement. Prior to the opening of the session, press reports had indicated that the importing countries would raise the problem of recent price reductions by some major exporters and that the exporters would raise the problem of the declining purchases under the agreement. On the operation of the agreement in the current world wheat situation, the Council stated that the lower volume of international transactions during the 1953–1954 crop year reflected the general reduction in demand resulting from higher production in importing countries and reduction of reserve stocks in importing countries. Since prices within and outside the agreement had moved within the range of the agreed maximum ($2.05) and minimum ($1.55) prices, neither exporting nor importing countries had been obliged to transact business within the agreement. The Council recognized that, where substantial supplies of wheat were available for export in excess of current demand, the possibility persisted that the conditions of international trade in wheat could deteriorate to an extent that would have serious implications for international trade in general and the economies of wheat exporting and importing countries in particular, unless an orderly adjustment to more normal levels of supply and demand could be assured and maintained. The Council unanimously agreed that the cooperation of all wheat importing and exporting countries was essential to prevent such a situation from developing and that the International Wheat Agreement was the instrument for such international cooperation.