BRITISH CHILDREN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 August 1940, Page 2

BRITISH CHILDREN

PRIVATELY ARRANGED PARTY. ON ITS WAY TO NEW ZEALAND. WELLINGTON. This Day. That a party of 170 British children reported in the cable news last week as having reached Panama on. their way to Australia and New Zealand were travelling under private arrangements and were mostly accompanied by their mothers, was mentioned by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, in an interview yesterday. Mr Farrv said the publication of the cable had caused a rush of inquiries by New Zealanders anxious to take British children.

“Information from the Home authorities makes it certain that the published cablegram has given rise to the wrong belief that the children were coming to New Zealand under the British scheme.” the Minister said. "An immediate inquiry of the High Commissioner in London. Mr Jordan, indicates that these children are certainly not coming to New Zealand under the arrangement made between this Government and the British Government. As these children do not form part of the British scheme, no arrangements by the Government are necessary for their reception, and no doubt all the plans necessary will be made privately.” Mr Parry said that up to the present no definite information was available about the arrival of the children under the British scheme. Close contact. however, was being maintained with the British Government, and he could say that there was no likelihood of any children arriving within the next few weeks. When information was available of the prospective arrival of the children, as much notice as possible would be given to persons who had either nominated children to be sent to the Dominion or who had applied to take into their homes one or more of the children evacuated either by a general announcement or by individual advice.