HOMELESS MULTITUDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 July 1939, Page 8

HOMELESS MULTITUDE

REFUGEES FROM GERMANY NEW PROPOSALS ADVANCED MEETING OF INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE. ENCOURAGEMENT GF PRIVATE benevolence. (British Ollicial Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.10 a.m.) RUGBY, July 19.

A. communique issued after the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee for Refugees from Germany states that the Director of the vumiiuti.ee, Sir Herbert ismerson, made a comprehensive ruport on me present position .of the refugee problem and inc- work of me committee. Earl Winterion, wno presided, informed the committee that in view of the great difficulty found by private organisations in raising the sums need cd tor the emigration of refugees, tc which the Director had referred in his report, the- British Government hac. come to the conclusion that it was necessary to depart from the principle, agreed upon at the Evian meeting, tnai any participating government would give direct financial assistance to re fugees and subscribers. The Government was examining -the manner and extent to which private subscribers to an international fund to assist in defraying the expenses of the overseas emigration of refugees might be en couraged by Government participation. If other governments were prepared to agree to this change of principle, and to co-operate in such parti cipation, the British Government would take the initiative in proposing a scheme for the purpose. The American. French, Brazilian and] San Dominican representatives recall j ed that this suggestion constituted a' departure from the Evian policy, but undertook to refer the matter to their governments. The meeting adjourned until tomor row. It is estimated that the number of refugees who left Germany in 1938 was not fewer than 120,000 and may have been as large as 140,000. It is also estimated that there are in European countries, excluding Germany, not fewer than 150,000 refugees who have left Germany, and that approximately 60,000 of these are tvholly or partially supported by private organisations.