DELEGATES FROM TWENTY COUNTRIES GATHERED AT THE ELYSEE PALACE IN PARIS, NOV 16, FOR THE FIRST MINISTERIAL MEETING OF THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT - THE OECD WHICH TOOK THE PLACE OF THE 13-YEAR-OLD OEEC ON SEPT 30.

PRESIDED OVER BY CANADIAN FINANCE MINISTER DONALD FLEMING, AND ATTENDED ALSO BY OBSERVERS FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMON MARKET ORGANISATIONS, FROM JAPAN AND YUGOSLAVIA, THE MEETING HAD BEFORE IT AN AMERICAN PLAN PROVIDING FOR A 50 PER CENT INCREASE IN THE NATIONAL OUTPUT OF MEMBER COUNTRIES BY 1970. THIS WOULD MEAN THE MAINTENANCE OF AN AVERAGE ANNUAL INCREASE RATE OF 4.6 PER CENT.

MR SELWYN LLOYD, THE BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, GAVE BRITAIN'S PLEDGE TO PLAY HER PART IN STIMULATING THE ATLANTIC COMMUNITY'S GROWTH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PLAN. BUT HE STRESSED THAT BRITAIN'S ACCEPTANCE OF THE AMERICAN TARGET PROPOSALS WAS CONDITIONAL. BRITAIN'S ECONOMY HAD BEEN GROWING ONLY ABOUT 2.5 PER CENT IN RECENT YEARS AND NO ONE CONSIDERED DOUBLING THAT FIGURE. IN THE GENERAL INCREASE OF OUTPUT, SOME MEMBER NATIONS WOULD HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE MORE THAN OTHERS.

NEITHER MR LLOYD NOR MANY OF THE OTHER MINISTERS RECEIVED THE PROPOSAL WITH THE SAME ENTHUSIASM WITH WHICH IT WAS LAUNCHED BY MR BALL, THE UNITED STATES UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, WHO SPOKE OF THE NEED FOR THE FREE WORLD TO MEET RUSSIA'S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE. MR BALL ASSURED THE MEETINGS THAT THE UNITED STATES HAD WORKED OUT THE IMPLICATIONS FOR HER OWN NATIONAL ECONOMY AND WAS CONFIDENT OF MEETING THE TARGET. IT NOW REMAINS FOR THE OTHER MEMBER COUNTRIES TO WORK OUT THE COMPLEX POLICIES NECESSARY TO CARRY THE PLAN THROUGH.