l facilities contributed to this, as did more emphasis on
public sanitation and increased numbers of doctors and medical
assistants. In 1970 there was a ratio of one physician for every 700
inhabitants, which was near the overall European average.

Despite an impressive record of achievements in the production of
industrial goods, the standard of living--with the exception of
Albania's and Portugal's--was probably the lowest in Europe in 1971.
During the preceding twenty years production of consumer goods was held
down, while heavy capital investment was encouraged. This was deliberate
economic practice calculated to be of maximum benefit to the country in
time but not intended to produce the greatest immediate results.

The rent for an ordinary three-room apartment in 1971 was about
one-third of the average worker's monthly wages; the cost of a new
automobile was about forty times his monthly income. Housing area was
small, the countrywide average being about eighty-two square feet of
living space per person. Although about 140,000 urban apartment units
became available in 1969 and similar numbers were programmed for
succeeding years, the housing situation was worse in cities than in
small towns and rural areas.

Commentary on the lot of the consumer varies widely, frequently to the
point of direct contradiction. Visitors that have had a less than
totally favorable impression of the country report that food items--even
the common staples, such as eggs, cheese, and sausage--are not always
available and that, when they are, purchasers wait in long lines.
Because food items are often available only in small shops individually
specializing in milk, cheese and sausage, or vegetables and eggs, for
example, the mere task of buying food is a time-consuming undertaking.
Persons disenchanted with the situation also complain that, although
poor harvests in 1968 and 1969 and floods in 1970 contributed further to
food shortages, much was still exported during those years. In 1971 the
government reiterated its plans to devote primary attention to the
development of its heavy industrial base. Plans at that time, they
alleged, would discourage increased production of consumer goods through
1975 at the least.

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Romania's early rail lines were developed largely in relation to
external points rather than to serve local needs. Until World War I the
one major trunk line ran south and east of the Carpathia