Mexico’s Population

While one can only applaud Harold W. Ezell’s good intentions and hopes by advocating a revitalized Mexican economy, as the result of the U.S.-Mexico free-trade agreement (“Use an Immigration Carrot, Not a Stick,” Commentary, June 12), he, like so many other self-proclaimed economists, fails to address the root problem of Third World unemployment, namely an overwhelming population growth rate.

Not even under the most favorable conditions of an economic boom would Mexico generate enough satisfactory jobs for the ever-increasing numbers of new entries into the labor market.

The prosperous nations (Taiwan and Korea) to which Ezell points as examples enjoy relatively stable population sizes and are conscious of the need thereof.

How could our learned friend miss this very important point?

HANS J. PLICKERT

Downey