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Small
Nations,
Big Losses
T
he year 1985 witnessed
the deaths of three men
who, though not the leaders
of powerful nations, will
most certainly be missed in
their countries and regions.
John Michael Geoffrey
Manningham " Tom" Adams,
53, died March 11 of a
heart attack. Mr. Adams
represented the Barbados
Labour Party and served as
prime minister from 1976
until his death. He attended
Magdalen College, Oxford,
where he earned degrees in
politics, philosophy and
economics. Later he worked
as a London attorney and
as a broadcaster for the
BBC before becoming head
of the Barbados Labour
Party in 1971.
Concerned about events
in neighboring Grenada alter
Maurice Bishop gained
control of that country in
1979, Mr. Adams supported
U.S. action in that island
nation in 1983.
"He had a range far
beyond the Caribbean,"
said Sally Shelton, U.S.
ambassador to Barbados
(1979-81).
Tage Erlander, 84, prime
minister of Sweden from
1946 lo 1969, died June 21 .
Mr. Erlander attended the
University of Lund, where he
became politically active in
the Social Democratic Party.
Erlander was first elected to
the Swedish Parliament in
1933.
1t
was as
undersecretary of state in
the Ministry of Social Affairs
that Erlander made his mark
on Sweden by planning
many of that nation's social
reforms.
In 1945 Mr. Erlander
became minister of
education. When
then-prime-minister Per Albín
Hansson died in 1946, Mr.
January 1986
Barbados' Prime Minister Adams, left, died Marcb 11;
Guyana's President Burnbam died August 6. At press time,
no photo was immediately available of former Swedisb
Prime Minister Erlander, who died June 21.
Erlander was elected
Ché! irman of his party and
became prime minister.
" A clever administrator , a
good speaker,
unconventional and
Japan's
Mountain of
Debt
N
ews reports focusing on
Japan's huge export
surplus and resulting
frictions with the United
States have overshadowed
another, more ominous
development in the island
nation: Japan's mammoth
budget deficit.
Like most nations of the
Free World, Japan is
spending well beyond its
means. But Japan's budget
deficits today outstrip !hose
of any other industrialized
nation.
This fiscal year, more
!han 19 percent is going to
service debl - a higher
percentage than in the
United States or West
Germany. Debt service has
replaced social security as
the number one budget
expenditure in Japan.
Japan's long-term
outstanding debt stands at
US$500,000,000,000-nearly
hall the nation's gross
national product.
So far the huge deficit has
not held back Japan 's
unassuming and with a
strong sense of humor,
Tage Erlander was held in
high esteem by the Swedish
people," said a report in
Swedish Digest.
economy, which continues
to grow at an impressive
rate. But the outlook is not
that bright. Prime Minister
Yasuhiro Nakasone is
seeking to pare government
fat and pul a lid on
spending, but many fear
such measures will stall
economic growth.
In addition to the
disturbing debt picture, other
trends trouble Japanese
ec;onomic planners. Among
them is the growing
obsolescence of Japan's
manufacturing plants.
Japanese economists fear
Presiden! Linden Forbes
Burnham of Guyana died of
an apparent heart attack
following throat surgery
August 6. Mr. Burnham ruled
Guyana for two years before
that nation 's independence
from the United Kingdom in
1966, and for 19 years
afterward.
A brilliant student, Mr.
Burnham earned his law
degree with honors from the
University of London in
1947. He was elected
premier of what was then
British Guiana in 1964 and
helped with the transition to
independence.
The late Presiden! had
been ailing for sorne time
with diabetes and heart
problems. •
the aging plants may soon
begin lo cut into Japan's
international
competitiveness. The
dilemma: Special tax breaks
to encourage new industrial
investment would cut into
tax revenues and further
aggravate Japan's already
huge budget deficit.
The Japanese economic
locomotive may soon have
lo gel accustomed to a
less rapid pace. The
government faces sorne
serious decisions as it
seeks to improve its fiscal
situation. •
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