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also been appointed to direct attention particularly to key products. The Secretariat of the Commission has shown undoubted competence, and the members of the Commission (all European members of United Nations and the United States are members) have regularly appointed experts to serve on the committees, sub-committees, and working parties. Although it has been in operation for barely one year, the Commission has made a valuable contribution in a number of essential matters concerned with the reconstruction of the European economy—e.g., the allocation of coal and the promotion of freedom of movement for different forms of inland transport. The Commission has taken over the work of previously existing bodies such as the European Coal Organization and the European Central Inland Transport Organization. At its fifth session the Council considered a proposal, put forward by Chile, for a further regional economic commission, the Economic Commission for Latin America. ECE and ECAFE arose essentially out of conditions of war devastation. It was proposed that the Commission for Latin America should be concerned rather with problems of development, although there were many indirect effects of the war to be taken into account. Consideration of this proposal in the Council raised serious problems of the relationship of Regional Economic Commissions to the work of the Specialized Agencies — e.g., the International Labour Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization. The New Zealand delegation was one of those which urged caution in proceeding with the establishment of regional commissions until the fundamental problems involved in their organization had been considered. The majority, however, favoured the establishment of the Commission for Latin America, and the Council, at its sixth session, after reviewing the report of a special committee established at its fifth session, set up a Commission with headquarters in Chile. At its sixth session the Council also established a Committee to consider a proposal advanced by Lebanon for an Economic Commission for the Middle East. Although action was taken on these proposals, a majority of the Council appreciated the significance of the issues involved and- accepted a proposal that the Economic and Employment Commission should examine the whole problem. In any case, the Regional Economic Commissions must report regularly on their work to the Council, and in 1951 the Council is scheduled to undertake a comprehensive survey of the work of the Regional Commissions. A place of particular importance in the economic and social field is occupied by the specialized agencies—the international intergovernmental organizations having wide responsibility in economic, social, and related matters, which are brought into relationship