PERMANENT HOME FOR U.N.O.

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5278, 13 December 1946, Page 5

PERMANENT HOME FOR U.N.O.

(Press1! Assn —

NEW YORK SffEl

JOHN D. ROCKFELLEI) JUN.. OFFERS £2,000,00

■Rec. 930 p.m.) ■

NEW YORK. EIe;|| Mr. Jolin D. Roekefeller; -jiaKp has Affered to the Nations more than £2,OO0,OOOB^ buy land for*a hermanent in New York City. AcceptaJBw oi' the offer wojjld meah that'^H idea of a selLcontained hd^H lor the United Nations would Ma abandoned. and headquart istablished in the busiest of New York. . The offer was announced in Headquarters Committee of the ufl^n ted Nations5 Assembly by the Uqifi^ States delegate. The Mayor of NXft York, Mr. O'Dwyer, described conditions of the offer as entirely iH a,nd said that if accepted !by U'NO would recommend it to the people. A sub-co.mmittee was appointed consider the offer. Tax-Free Gift Asked The offer was made to enable fBg purchase of six blocks along the Efl| River waterfront, 42nd Street to Street. Mi\ Rockefeller stipula^M that New York City mUst donate streets and small parceis of land H| the area. He also asked that the kWSjji •be free of all taxes. . H| The offer Was contained in a lettffl| which Mr. Rockefeller's son NelsjB| personally deliVered to the Unit|H| Nations5 Headquarters CommittqM An official read the letter to -tfla startled delegates as they assembl^K to vote on an American resolution ffflj delay final selection of a site un«| 1,947. ^ The United States delegate, MH Austin, told the committee the offflR was good for only 30 days for WhioFl Mr. Rockfeller had an option on land. ^ Russia iFavours Site .S| The suggested site had previousf|| been designated as the location of |® proposed "city within a city," IfifR Rockefeller Centre (radio city). Woi^ had already been started by the owi^ ers, who are a real estate firm, bi^ the project would be abandoned, ® least temporarily, if the United Nsg tions buy the site, Which is cqm largely covered by- abattoirs and paci^ ing houses. $| The 'Soviet delegates welcomed th^ offer hut the Britsh delegate sa^| that privately Britain still favotirs ^ s;tc in Philadelphia. ' Australia Not in Favour m On a United States m'otion, tha| UNO Committee decided by -39 votep| to seven to appoint a sub-committe to examine the offer and report hy morrow. The British delegate, M^ Kenneth Younger said that the offe^ was irresistible but India and Saud a Arabia contended that it could not b|| considered at this late stage. Ausp tralia voted against the motion pre . samably because it prefers San Franj. cisco. After the meeting S'enator Austii said that personally he was of th opinion that the site was the bes'> offer yet. He added: "I have a feeki ing' that the United States will sup--port it. The site has dignity, nt-v mosphere, accessibility, and woulc.; dispose of the problem of displacing; citizens. The area is without apalt- ; ments or homes, and much has ready heen cleared; Moreover, there is no problem of expansion because 'the siky is the limit.5" -V