State of the Nation

For the sixth and final time, Mexico's outgoing President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines draped the red, white and green sash of office across his shirt front, climbed aboard the ceremonial Packard and drove past cheering thousands to the Chamber of Deputies. Across the nation Mexicans gathered around television sets, radios, and street-corner loudspeakers for the last state of the nation address from a man whose honest, middle-reading administration had served the country well. "In each chapter," said Ruiz Cortines proudly, "the country will find a resume of what the Mexican people have accomplished since 1952."

When he took over, Ruiz Cortines inherited a Mexico racked by corruption and given to grandiose projects that gobbled up as much as 40% of the annual budget. Now, the President was leaving a nation troubled by labor strife, including new riots this week that injured scores. But it was also a country that had taken some giant strides in the past six years, despite the fact that Mexico in 1958 felt the pinch of recession north of the Rio Grande. Mileposts:

>> Gross national product in 1957 was $8.2 billion, up 10% from the previous year. Cost of living grew along with it, but wages more than kept up (see chart).

>> Gold and dollar reserves slipped $28 million from the 1956 level, but the money went for vital purchases: U.S. corn to offset the effects of a drought and refined petroleum products.

>> Industrial production climbed 8%, agricultural production 6%.

>> National investments amounted to $1.2 billion, said Ruiz Cortines, while private investments were $800 million. The President's figures were slightly exaggerated. (More realistic estimates: $1 billion and $700 million.)

For the future, Ruiz Cortines passed on one short rule to guide his successors: "What is necessary must be made possible." Then he added an important corollary: "But every demand that ignores reality deserves oblivion."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.