TITO CALLING YUGOSLAVS HOME

Chronicle (Levin), 9 October 1947, Page 5

TITO CALLING YUGOSLAVS HOME

Received Wednesdav, 10.45 p.m. SYDNEY, Oct. 8. At a time when Australia is using every elfort to encourage migrants from Europe and America, the prospect of a mass emigration by Yugoslav citizens in Australia to their parent country, has conie as a shock to tlie Governnient and Australian citizens alike. Ah part of a world movemeut organised by tlie Tito regime, about 900 Yugoslavs living in Australia are returning home vvith as much as they can take of their nionev and goods niade in tlie Commonwealth. A Yugoslav shipping line vessel, tne Partizanska, is due at Svdnev on Noveniber 1 1 to embark 300 passengers liere and the remamder at Fremantie. They propose to take £1(50,000 with llieni in cash or goods and the Yugoslav organisations are eonducting a brisk publicity campaign aniong their 11ationals to raise this amount. The movenient to strengthen Yugoslavia's nianpower and material resources by remigration, is gaining strength in Canada and was meeting with considerable sueeess in United States until the United States Government announced that it would not grant jiassports for sueh an enterprise. Local Yugoslavs say that the scheme in Australia began after the Yugoslav Cousul, Alr. Kosovich, returned from the Panslav congress early tliis year. Alr. Kosovich was prominent in local Yugoslav leftwing politics before becoming consul after the Tito regime began. The local Yugoslav newspaper Napredak urges inteiuling emigrants to provide niore funds and to buy machinery timi wool for export. Those who do so are pnmiised certific.at.es which will be convertible iuto Yugoslav eurreney imniediately. The efforts of repalriates from Canada who eontributed 2,000,000 dollars, are warnily jiraised. Alany of those returning home are farmers, toniato growers and smail businessnien though the heavy industries are well rejiresonted. The major ity have been here between 10 and years but others have not seen theii hoineland for over a quarter of a cen turv. "None of0these people has any complaint against Australia," said tlie secretary of the Yugoslav Imniigrants' Association, p Alr. P. Odorich. "These people feel they limst contribute something of the happiness thAy knew in Australia in lielping rebuild the war devastation. " Alembers of the opposition Yugoslav partv here say they have no evidence of pressure being exerted to force a return but nianv have said that they cannot imagine wliy anyone would leave Australia voluntarilv for anv part ot Europe. This opinion will undoubtedB be borne out by members of tlie New Zealand division who came into uneasv contaet with Tito's forces at Triesti dnring Afay and .Tune 1045. Aleanwhile Consul Kosovich sit.s ir his office beneath the. benign portrait oi Stalin and refuses coniment.