BRITISH CHILDREN

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 53, 30 August 1940, Page 9

BRITISH CHILDREN

ACCOMMODATION IN

DOMINION

10 ? 000 HOMES OFFERED

Offers received by the Government up to yesterday to provide homes for British children evacuated to New Zealand represent accommodation for 10,000 children. The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry) said last. night that 1844 nominations had been made by New Zealand residents affecting 3564 children in England. Of the unspecified children to come under the evacuation scheme, 5800 homes in the Dominion had been offered to accommodate 6500 children.

"The response of bur people has been patriotically magnificent," Mr. Parry continued. "The work of listing the homes for the children is far from complete, so that these figures I have quoted are not to be regarded as final, but they indicate a keenness on the part of the people of New Zealand to look after the young people from England. In spite of there being some real uncertainty till recently as to whether or not children will actually be coming to the Dominion, offers to take them continue to be received."

Offers of homes for 75 children from Great Britain have been received from the Rotorua patriotic zone, reports the "New Zealand Herald." One noticeable feature of the returns is the preference for girls, particularly between the ages of five and seven. Forty of the offers made have been for girls in this group. Another feature of the preferences is that few prospective fosterparents seem concerned about the religious denomination to which the children belong.