STARVATION IN EUROPE

Dominion, Volume 39, Issue 28, 27 October 1945, Page 7

STARVATION IN EUROPE

Grave Danger This Winter BRITAIN URGED TO ACT

(By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Received October 26, 8-15 p.m.) LONDON, Octobei _6. The Prime Minister, Mr Attlee, has received a deputation led bj Sit MilHam Beveridge urging that measures should be taken in view of the of human beings, particularly > > Geiinany, who would inevitably be in danger of death from starvation and disease in the coming winter. The deputation urged the Government, first, to negotiate with the Rusr-inn. I olish and Czech Governments with a new to stopping forthwith the expulsion ot Germans from their homes m eastern Europe and developing the agreed interAllied policy on the subject before spring: secondly, in concert xvitli the French and Americans to negotiate for an immediate common policy toi me reception in the respective zones of such number of those already c H>vl |l ? ( ’ as «an be housed and fed. in view ot the existing commitments of the Western lowers to their own peoples and libera l ct ’ I . 1 ’ tries: thirdly, in concert with the 11 tench, Dutch and Belgian Governments to increase the Ruhr coalmines production by all possible means, including the provision of adequate rations tor the miners and their'families: fourthly, to mobilize all available motor, vehicles, whether British, American or German, to meal, the transport bottleneck; and fifthly, Io use civilian and military food reserves which can be released for the urgent needs of the various populations. Mr. Attlee expressed sympathy ami n ave an assurance that the Government was doing everything in its power to meet the situation. lie emphasized that unilateral action on the part of the British could not materially improve present conditions. Children’s Rations Increased. The Kommandatura has decided to increase the rations for children aged J to 16 to 1543 calories a day by granting them an extra one-third of an ounce of cereals, one-fifth of an ounce of tats, and -one ounce of sugar. The children will daily receive the following rations: Bread, lloz.; potatoes. 140 z.; cereals, lloz.; meat, two-thirds oz.; fats. loz.; sugar, 2oz. , There is in addition each month a ration of one ounce of coffee, three-quarters of an ounce of tea and 14oz. ot salt. The ration for non-working adults will remain unchanged at 1050 calories daily. The British have requested the Russians to hold up any further movement to Berlin of refugees wishing to proceed from the Russian zone to the British zone in western Germany. . Renters Berlin correspondent says it is stated that two trainloads of refugees this week arrived at the British sector from Rostock carrying papers issued by the Russians saying they were bound for the British zone. The German refugees arriving were said to be all halt and lame, with hardly a single fit person among them The Russian representatives promised that steps would be taken to halve these movements. A British military Government officer said it was hoped to restart the movement of these people to the British zone, in the very near future. AU the refugees are persons who formerly lived in the British zone and have homes and relatives to whom to go. Articles Resented. The British, French and United States representatives protested at a Kommaudatura meeting in Berlin against articles which appeared recently in German newspapers published in the Russian zone, giving the impression that the Berlin food shortage was caused by the failure the British zone in the very near, future, of the AV estern Powers to fulfil their commitments. The four Powers, tollowing the protest agreed that all articles in the Berlin Press dealing with food must deal with the city as a whole and they must use only information obtained from the Kommandature.