….Agriculture, the backbone of the nation’s
economy, has received its proper share of attention in Our Government’s
planning. Intensive efforts are being made to improve farming techniques. The
cotton project at Tendaho is moving out of the experimental stage. Enlarged
veterinary services will improve the quality of Ethiopia’s cattle, thus
multi-plying many times over the wealth which exists in the country’s livestock
population and a new slaughterhouse is going into production near Shashamanne
to take advantage of this potential. A coordinated locust control project,
undertaken in common with neighbouring countries, promises to reduce, if not
immediately to eliminate entirely, the ravages which this insect pest has
inflicted in the past upon Ethiopia’s crops. Grain storage facilities are being
constructed which will serve to guard against the economic and social
disturbances which arise when shortages occur. Measures will shortly be
proposed to Parliament for action to be taken to preserve, for the benefit of
present and future generations, the nation’s forests which are not only
valuable in themselves as a source of wood, but act as nature’s guardian
against the forces of erosion, which, unchecked, can transform fertile areas
into barren and sterile desert…..
Nov. 21, 1963.
Selected Speeches of His
Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie - page 481 –
….. Efforts for the alleviation of suffering and disease are advancing
satisfactorily. Endemic diseases which have sapped the strength and will of so
many of Our people for untold years are slowly yielding to the assaults mounted
against them, and these efforts will continue unabated until they have achieved
complete and permanent success. New clinics and hospitals have been opened, and
today Our nation disposes of more medical facilities than ever before in its
history. …..
Nov. 21, 1963.
Selected Speeches of His
Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie - page 539 –
IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS
….. In the past twelve months, significant improvements
have been effected in the Empire’s transportation and communications systems.
Additional funds are being expended in the expansion of the nation’s
telecommunications network which will serve to bring our neighbours closer to
us. Modern jet aircraft have been added to the fleet of Ethiopian Air Lines
bringing the entire world measurably closer to our doorstep. The most modern
international airport facilities have been added to our civil aviation system
as part of a coordinated programme which will make Addis Ababa an increasingly
important centre for air travel. The Third Highway Programme will add new roads
to Ethiopia’s highway system and modernize roads which already exist. The
improvement in these areas will encourage accelerated economic activity as men
travel to and from Ethiopia and throughout the countryside more comfortably and
quickly. And as travel facilities improve, an expanded effort to attract
tourists is being undertaken in order that friends from foreign lands may come
to know of Ethiopia’s climate, her spectacular natural beauty and her many historic
attractions and places of interest. The rewards which accrue to the nation more
than justify these activities. …..
Nov.
21, 1963
Selected Speeches of His
Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie - page 571 –
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