Pestilence Threatened

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 102, 27 October 1945, Page 7

Pestilence Threatened

MR. BEVIN WARNS WORLD

(By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) ' -v , , «>» Rec. ll'a.m, LONDON, October 26. "I told other countries weeks ago that we were in danger of a terrible epidemic iri Europe—a further terrific human loss more devastating than the guns or even the atomic bomb," said the Foreign Secretary, Mr, Ernest Bevin, in the House of Commons today. Mr. Bevin drew a picture of chaos in-Europe, and said he now thought it was probably wrong to have developed zones of occupation, "but there were very grave political considerations," he said, "which I do not propose to introduce now."

Mr. Bevin spoke of efforts which had been made to build up what he called a health defence line in Europe, but said that politics had intervened against com-mon-sense arrangements. The United States Congress was now considering a vote of £45,000,000 sterling for UNRRA, and Mr. Bevin said, "if that vote is not carried,. UNRRA will be broken, and in a few weeks the situation will be disastrous."

Mr. Bevin went on to speak of the mass transfers and migrations going on in Europe. He said that as many as 25,000,000 people were moving at once, some one way, some another, and declared: "It is almost beyond human capacity to solve this problem quickly. I can only say that we will do our best." I

The Foreign Secretary recalled the failure of the conference of Foreign Ministers to agree about the waterways of Europe, saying that if they could get strategy and spheres of influence out of the picture nothing would do so much to restore Europe as the setting up of communications on the Oder, the Rhine, the Elbe, and the Danube. As far as the Rhine was concerned, Britain had done her best.

Mr. Bevin emphasised his now familiar view that a more economic approach was needed to solve the problems of remaking the world but in this connection he reminded the House that France looked- tipon a unified Germany as a nightmare.

The Foreign Secretary reserved his decision about the Ruhr and the Rhine, declaring: "I do not want to ruin the peaceful industry of Germany, but I do feel that against such a warlike nation I am entitled to ask for a reasonable insurance policy." For a nation that could not be .trusted territorial change was not so vital as international control. • The British Minister of Food, Sir Ben Smith, reminded the House of Commons of the big quantities of food that had been flowing into Europe. From D Day to September Britain had transferred 850,000 tons, and by Decem,ber it would be 1,000,000 tons. It was only possible to do so by imposing considerable sacrifices. . They deliberately kept down their own resources at a comparatively low level so as to help Europe after its liberation. They had reduced their stocks as far as they safely could, and the, ending of lend-lease had not made things any easier.. . ._,._.' + Sr. Ben thought his first duty was to restore "the cuts made in the rations since YE Day, but said that if they then had any over they would be happy to join with others to lighten the miseries of other countries. The plight of the Germans m the British zone this winter was today described by Field-Marshal Montgomery as "pretty grim." There were not only food and clothing shortages, but 60 per cent, of the houses had been destroyed or damaged, and there was no fuel for domestic use. It served the German people right, he said, but disease must not be allowed to gain the upper hand. "Disease is. my. biggest anxiety/ he declared.