FOOD AND ECONOMIC CRISIS IN EUROPE

Chronicle (Levin), 10 January 1947, Page 2

FOOD AND ECONOMIC CRISIS IN EUROPE

i 'y ^ | SEQUEL TO TERMINATION OF XJNRRA. LOXDON, Jau. S. The arbitnuy pulitical destruetion of I'm-ra on December 31 lasL in ihe middle of the winter willi no eii'eelive repl^ceiuqiq, u iJj .nge/an ,fqod„ap(.l eepnpnpc, ici'ises in the seeond quarter of 1947 in most countries dependent on Unrra, aaid ('ommander R. G. Jackson, the I)eputy-Director-(ieneral, reviewing the uiiiding up of the organisation. Conniiander Jackson added that the : three months' gap bctween the termination of L'nrra food supplies and the gathering of inadequate indigenous Itarvests wouhl not necessarily liiean starvation, but widespread maJiiutrition. He believed the Unrra operatiou had been an exlraordiuary good one. . 1 1 had failed only in oue respect — it 'had not won the support of the.peopies of the coiitributing eountries or "got over' 'to theni the urgency of the situation. It was given a bad nume in 1944 15, -w iiich it never lived down. The end of Unrra was a very good 1 lesson that intei iiational organisations had no hope of surviving without pubiic support. particulariy that of the ! i nited l^tates. Uonimaiider Jackson ! uarned that it something were not done . at once there was a chance tliat the eountries receiving- Unrra aid would siip back to where they were 18 months ago. "We see no sfgns of United Nations (>v nalional iiodies succeeding Uurra comiiig to life and carryiug on L'nrra's work. " The contributing eountries had sunk more than £700, 000, 000 in Unrra, Init it had u good eiiance of losing 1:he capital investment for the sake of another £100.000, 000 or £200,000,000. Value of Shipments. Sir Huniphrey (Jale, the personai j representcitive of the Director-Generai | >i" Unrra in London, disciosed that by January 1. Unrra had shipped more than 19,000,000 lons of relief supplies, valued at £570,000,(4)0, and had acliieved #S per ceiit. of tlie administration 's original programtiie. Supplies valued at £1(15,000,000 had retuaiiied to be shipped early this vear. United Nations had met 99.8 per cent. of their coutributions to Unrra. !Sir Huniphrey Hale said that ..the food slupnients Would cease liefor'e the agricultural rehabilitation of the occu])ie«l eountries was completed. Tt was vitally important that the remaining 22 per cent. of l'nrra 's programme should be conqileted if Unrra was to succeed in its rehabilitation function. The food situation in many counffies remained most nlarming, added ''Sir Huniphrey. The situation was very bad in Austria, Albania, ('hina, (rreece. Italy and Yugoslavia. Unrra was to han'd over responsiliility for the 730,000 displaced persons 'it was at present aSsisting- to the lnternational Refugees' Organisation by June, 1947. Howe'ver, there was 110 sign yet of this organisation 's headquarters, which are to be established in Paris. It was imperative it should begin its work soon in order to avoid any hiatus. % Sir Humphrev Gale said JthjaL 40 • per cent. of the remaining supplies, .valued at £80,000,000, would be delivered to China up till August. The progranimy for ('hina so t'ar was only half.completed. Poor internal communicakons wero lutuiperi'e;- distrilmtion.