SOUTH AMERICAN PLANS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 75, 20 January 1947, Page 3

SOUTH AMERICAN PLANS

EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS “Several South American States already are taking active steps to bring large numbers of immigrants from Europe, reports The Times. “The Argentinian Government intends sending a special minister to Rome to supervise the selection of some 4,000,000 Europeans who will be transhipped to the Argentine at the rate of 30,000 a month. “Brazil and Venezuela already have established organisations abroad for the same purpose. Brazil proposed absorbing 12,000 immigrants a year, and Venezuela wants 10,000 families or some 30,000 to 40,000 persons. “The Vatican is reported to be interested in all three movements, and has been studying measures to relieve many thousands of Catholics among 1,000,000 displaced persons facing an uncertain future in Central European countries. British shipping companies are reported to be anxious to participate in these large-scale transfers but they are handicapped by a shortage of suitable tonnage. The Royal Mail Line’s Highland Chieftain now on her way to South America will have all her accommodation fully occupied, but her two sister ships, the Highland Princess and the Highland Brigade, which both visited New Zealand as troopers, are not expected to be reconverted and repaired until the middle of next year. Of the other two large British liners built for the South American trade, the Andes is still requisitioned as a transport and the Alcantara is still in process of derequisitioning.

“It is anticipated that the transportation of the hundreds of thousands of European immigrants required by South American States will occupy many years.”