The members of the board of directors of the National Council of Catholic Women, meeting on the 50th anniversary of their federation’s founding, considered the problems facing our nation in the decade we are entering and issued the following statements: Twenty Fifth Anniversary of the United Nations - Great progress is represented by “A giant stride for mankind,” but great problems also can ensue. Unless man learns to work and to live in harmony with his fellowman, nationally and internationally, his technological progress can be his undoing.

This year, the 25th anniversary of the United Nations, offers an excellent opportunity to put into our daily lives the noble goals and principles embodied in the UN Charter. The primary goal of peace is nurtured in the minds, hearts and wills of the people - in their being concerned about other human beings, in unselfishly helping them to achieve adequate health, education, housing and employment. This requires a ground swell of public opinion that will not tolerate mistreatment, mentally, physically, spiritually of human beings, wherever they are, be it on our block or half way around the world.

These goals are not just for today, but for tomorrow and tomorrow. We must guarantee by our living love for our fellow man that there WILL BE a tomorrow.

FAMILY ASSISTANCE v. FAMILY PLANNING - We urge President Nixon to reconsider the allocation of funds for family planning services and suggest that they be redirected toward stabilizing the families now in our society through a realistic family assistance program which balances with the cost of living. There is a need for further emergency measures to alleviate poverty and hunger, where these funds could be utilized.

We endorse the president’s objectives to eliminate pollution and organized crime, narcotics and pornography, as well as his proposals for new cities and assistance to rural America. These objectives are within the purview of government and are more positive means of strengthening families by improving the quality of life. As the president implies, today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders with a “sense of destiny” - but only if they are nourished in body and in spirit.

HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION - The final report of the recent White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health has not yet published. Meanwhile we must continue our efforts to increase our members’ awareness of the problems of hunger and malnutrition. As Christian women we can help move our nation toward a solution of this national blight.

WOMEN’S CONCERN FOR TODAY’S YOUNG WOMEN - The board of directors of NCCW renews its assistance to all young women in poverty through participation in the activities and programs of Women in Community Service, Inc. We reiterate in this day of conflict and confusion that this commitment is one of WOMEN WHO CARE to young women WHO NEED OUR HELP, and is not limited to a specific government-sponsored program of education and training for employment.

RACIAL IMBALANCE IN THE SCHOOLS - We acknowledge the injustice of the de facto segregation in many schools today, found as it is in the north, south, east and west. We commend those who have tried so vainly to make the 1954 Supreme Court decision on integrated schools a reality. But the fact that the injustice continues at this late date leads us to reconsider the whole problem. It is evident that the imbalance in our schools is caused by housing patterns in our communities. The ideal “neighborhood school” will reflect all facets of our communities when the present laws on open housing are obsolete because each individual recognizes the brotherhood of man under the fatherhood of God.