ADMISSION OF REFUGEES

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25089, 22 January 1947, Page 8

ADMISSION OF REFUGEES

ORGANISATIONS IN SYDNEY NEWSPAPER REPORT FROM CANBERRA (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 9.30 p.m.j SYDNEY, Jan. 21. “A Commonwealth investigation has revealed the existence of two organisations in Sydney, one Communistcontrolled and the other dominated by White Russians, which are sponsoring refugee entry into Australia.” says the Canberra correspondent of the ‘‘Sydney Sun.” He claims that money is no object, particularly to some refugees entering the Commonwealth from the Far East and that agents discovered that one man had more than £40.000 in his possession. Other refugees were found to have credits amounting to thousands in London and New York banks. The correspondent credits a senior official as saying that the inquiries are directly related to disclosures at the Canberra spy ring trials.

Tile credentials of some refugees who were not interned by the Japanese during the war are being closely examined. Arrivals styling themselves White Russians are being checked carefully, with particular reference as to how some of them made such large sums in the Far East.

The article states that a member of Parliament was offered £lOO a head for each successful sponsorship. Contrary to popular belief, investigators say that refugees from Europe are mostly short of money and are guaranteed accommodation and tare by their sponsors.

No Commonwealth record is kept of transactions by aliens in Australia or the amount of land, property or the businesses they acquire. The immigration authorities refuse to disclose the number of aliens who have arrived in Australia, but a return by the Commonwealth Statistician lists-2794 aliens as permanent new arrivals during the first nine months of 1946. Of these 930 are from the United States and cannot be classed as refugees. Of 520 originating from China only 106 are Chinese. The Minister of Immigration (Mr A. A. Calwell) said to-day that there were only 200 more people in Shanghai with permits to enter Australia and that no more permits would be issued for some time.