HOMELESS REFUGEES

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1939, Page 7

HOMELESS REFUGEES

NEED FOR ASSISTANCE URGED BY MR. ROOSEVELT [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] (Received October 18, 10.20 a.m.) WASHINGTON, October 17. Mr. Roosevelt to-day urged the InterGovernmental ddmmittee’.’on Political Refugees, which represents six countries, to speed up the present task of helping 300,000 who are homeless, because “Avhen this ghastly war ends, maybe not one but ten or twenty million will enter the problem.” He asked the Committee to start a “serious expansive effort” to study the geographic and economic problem of resettling several million people. Mr. Roosevelt announced that active settlement was beginning in Dominica and the Philippines, and he hoped that these projects Avould be the forerunner of many similar moves by other nations. . ... ...

The President observed that the possible field for new settlements covered millions of miles in Africa, America, Australia, and New Zealand. “The problem now transcends any racial or religious division. It is l not enough to indulge in horrified humanitarianism, empty resolution, golden rhetoric,. or pious words. W r e must face it actively, if democratic principle, based on respect for human dignity, is to survive, and if world order, resting on the security of the individual, is to be restored. We hope and trust that the existing war will terminate quickly ... . The quicker we begin the undertaking, the quicker we will contribute something to the establishment of world peace. Out of the dregs of the present disaster, we can ■ distill some real achievements lor human progress.” ; Continuing, Mi’. Roosevelt said... he realised that. Britain and .France were “engaged in a major war. and can oe asked to do little more than give a continuance of their sympathy and interest. That means that upon neutral nations lies the obligation to humanitv, to carry on the work.” He urged the adoption of the most-modern methods. “Up to now, we have been working on too small a scale. We have failed to apply modern engineering to our task.”

The Committee is beginning a two-; days’ conference, at which it will] draft recommendations for the next, plenary session of the 32 memberj nations. | REFUGEES FROM POLAND j STATEMENT IN COMMONS • RUGBY. October 17. | The plight of Polish refugees was ; raised in a Commons question. ; The Foreign Under-Secretary (Mr.Butler) answered that, although sta- j tistics were still incomplete, the Gov-j eminent was well aware that large , numbers of Poles were forced by the ; invasion to flee. He paid a tribute to the generosity of neighbouring States. ( and referred to the many charitable ; organisations, both Allied and neutral, which were devoting themselves to a study and solution Of the problem. Mr. Butler announced that, the Government. was establishing a central agency, with Sir Francis Humphreys

at the head, to which all questions af- ■ feeling Polish refugees could be addressed. and through which any offi- • cial assistance or advice could be • given.