Announcement of a General Survey Mission to Jordan on March 25, 1955

HOLD FOR RELEASE ' INTERNATIONAL Bi~NK FOR . •Rl;CONS:TRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (WORLD BANK) 1818 H STREET, N.W., WASHINGTON 25, 0.C. TELEPHONE: EXECUTIVE 3-6360 PRESS RELFASE NO. 39a FOR RELEASE A.M. Newspapers Sll13JECT: General Survey Mission to March 25, 1955 Jordan. A mission organized by t.he World Bank at the request of the Government .or Jordan will arrive i:1. 1.umrio.n t.omo:rrow (Ma:ch 26) to ms.~.e a general survey of Jordan's economy:, The mission expects to remain in Jordan for a period of three to four months. The mission will undertake a general review of Jordan:' s economic potentialities • and maJce recommendations designed to assist the Government in formulating a long- term development program for increasing Jordan• s produrtiv.e resources, for raising the standard of living and for reducing, as far as possible, the country•s dependence on external financial assistance in the future. The mission's recommendations will relat~'I to the rate at which public capital expenditures can appropriately be undertaken and the priorities for this investment among the various sectors of the economy; measttres apart from capital investment which could increase production and raise the standard or living; and economic, fiscal a.nd administrative policies and measures,J1.ecessary for the success of a <'( development program. In all its work, the mis~ic;,n ·will make the fullest use of .existing stµdies and ~f the advice and experience of otner organizations and technical experts who have been aseoci~ted with the studies. The mission will be hea.ded by Dr. Pieter Lieftinck. Dr. Lieftinck has been a • member of the Bank's staff' since 1952, serving successively as the Bank's Special Representative in Turkey., chief or the general survey mission to Syria, and adviser to the Government or Le\,anon. In all, the mtssion has seven meml>ers who are nationals respectively of Aust:ralia., Belgium,. France, Netherlands, Union of South Africa, United Kingclom and the United States. I This is the thirteenth general survey mission to be organized by the Bank. • Surveys have already been completed in British Guiana, Ceylon., Colombial Cu.ba, Guatema.la., Iraq, Jamaica,. Malaya, Nigeria, Surinam, Syria and Turkey. The reports or the missions to Ma.laya and Syria are now nearing completion; the others have been submitted to the governments concerned and have been published. The members or th9 mission to Jordan are: Dr. Pieter Lieftinck (Netherlands) - Chief or Mission For the seven years prior to his joining the Ba.nk in 1952, Dr. Lieftinck was Minister or Finance or the Netherlands and a Governor of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund fran t,he time or their establishment. Earlier he held ~portant, economic posts with the Govei·nment or the Metherlands and was Professor of Economics at the Rotterdam Schooi or Economics. · o. H. Bacon: (United Kingdom) - Adviser on Agriculture Mr. Bacon was a member of the Department of Agriculture of the Sl.ldan Government from 1928 to 195.3, becoming Director or Agri- culture in 1950. Since 19S.3 he has served as Agricultural Adviser to the Sudan Govermnent and the Sudan Gezira Board. James A. Ba1·r: (United States) • Adviser on Mineral Resources Mr. Barr has been a co."lsulting engineer in private practice • since 1949. Earlier he was Chief Engineer of the International Minerals and Chemical Corporation. Roy J. Cam.eron (Australia) - Economist Mr. Cameron is a merr.ber of the Economic Staff or the B:mk. Before joining the Bank, he held posts with the Department of Taxation and Canberra University College in Australia. Francois Pierre C_t~ (Belgium) - Chief Economist Mro Cracco has been Financial Counselor to the Syrian Govern- ment since 1950. He formerly held economic and financial posts with the University or Louvain, the National Bank of Belgium and in the International Zone of Tangier. Bernard H. de Fontgalland (France) • Adviser on Transportation Mr. de Fontgalla.nd., now· with Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Frar1caisi has served in the French Public Works Adm:Lni$tration and as Chief Engineer of the French Overseas Railways and as Director of the Railway Administrations or the French West Africa .(Dakar- Niger-Region) a~d the French Cameroons. He was the Adviser on Transportation of the Bal'lk' s survey mission t,o Nigeria. Cedrie E. Ha.hn (Union of South, lt!l·ica) .. Assistant to Mission Chief Mr. Hahn joined the staff or the Bank in 19$3 and nas been s~tioned in the Office of the Regional Repreflentativ·e of the Bank L~~ the Middle East, in Beir-u't;, PreVi.o\lSly he held various consular and dipl01natic posts ld tp. tbe Government of the Union of So\lth Africa.