UNOCCUPIED FRANCE

Evening Star, Issue 23727, 7 November 1940, Page 10

UNOCCUPIED FRANCE

lERRIBLE PLIGHT QF REFUGEES MORTAGE OF FOOD AND CLOTHING (British Official Wireless.) EUGBY, November 5. A grim light is thrown on the conditions in France by an article in the Swedish newspaper ‘ Dagens Nyheter,’ which says that the official French figure of 1,500,000 refugees in unoccupied territory includes only those registered and supported by the Government. There are also a large number of refugees trying to support themselves and unregistered. They struggle against inhuman difficulties. The biggest refugee centre is Toulouse, where, during the past months, 10,000,000 to 12,000,000 refugees have passed through. At present the Toulouse population is' still 900,000 instead of the pre-war 250,000. Thus all indispensable goods, such as food, medicine, clothes, and bed sheets are terribly scarce. The harvest was had and communications are very difficult. French, Swedish, mud other relief committees try to find work for refugees. Toulouse expects to have at least 70,000 refugees to support this winter, among them 10,000 women and children. Committees are organising entertainment and education. All nationalities are represented among the refugees—French, German, Polish, Belgian, Czech, and Jewish. The State has organised camp shelters for 500 women, and a number of others are soon expected. In Lyons there are about 12,000 people who were evacuated or expelled from Alsace-Lorraine. A difficult problem is also to find , work, clothing, food, and spiritual assistance for 22,000 Paris girls aged 14 to 18 and unable to support themselves.