Western Europe: A Better Solace

Western Europe's economic boom shows few signs of letting up, but that has not prevented many European economists from worrying about where it all will end. The economists who work for the prestigious Twentieth Century Fund do not seem to share those worries. In a report issued last week, they predicted that Europe's unprecedented prosperity will continue to increase at least until 1975.

Population in the 18 Western European countries, says the study, will increase from 313 million in 1962 to more than 340 million in 1975, outnumbering the U.S. or Russia. Total Western European output is expected to rise 90% to $600 billion, and productivity per worker in the projected 147 million-man work force will jump 70%. Unemployment, which was a bare 3,000,000 in 1962 and is even less now, is expected to drop to 2,000,000 by 1975.

The fund also forecasts that Western Europeans will own 60 million to 70 million cars by 1975, triple the number in 1960. Spending for household appliances and furniture will more than double, and outlays for clothing and fuel will rise by nearly 70%. As a sort of footnote, the fund also predicted that, while Europe will acquire more expensive tastes in liquor—indeed, the Continent is now busy switching to Scotch —excessive drinking will decrease. It seems that there will be so much to do, buy and see in the Europe of 1975 that there will be less time for liquor, "formerly one of the few solaces."