POST-WAR WORLD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 64, Issue 91, 27 January 1944, Page 3

POST-WAR WORLD.

RELIEF ADMINISTRATION. BRITAIN ASKED FOR £80,000,000 1 LONDON, Jan. 25. A British contribution of £80,000,000 to the United Nations* Relief and Rehabilitation Administration was proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir John Anderson) to the House of Commons. The areas which would be brought under the control of the United Nations marked a new phase in the war, said the Chancellor. It was an essential part of the complex task confronting Britain and her Allies that the liberated countries ; should be restored. He praised the preliminary work done in Washington and London.

The Minister of State (Mr Richard Law) said that UNRRA was not even a benevolent dictatorship. If a countiy preferred to get on without it, it could do so, but the nations which did not ask assistance would not be at liberty to go into the world’s markets and buy, regardless of the arrangements made by UNRRA. After the last war relief had been financed by loans of which very few had been repaid, and they had lingered to poison international relationships for many years.

This time there would no question of loans. Those who could pay would, and those who could not would have a gift from countries which were more fortunate. The machinery for the production of relief supplies was geared with the machinery for the production of war supplies.

Speakers urged that UNRRA should plan for a long term and that, relief should be available to enemy territory as well as liberated countries. If Britain’s rations were to be affected by the problem of supplying UNRRA the people should be told about it now.

The United States House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate the bill authorising the expenditure of 1,350,000,000 dollars for the relief of distressed peoples of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.