UNRRA APPEAL

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 July 1945, Page 6

UNRRA APPEAL

JUGOSLAVS STARVING. LONDON. July 21. The chief of the UNRRA Mission in Jugoslavia (Mr Mihail Sergejchk), who is a Russian, appealing to producer nations for. a vast increase in the amount of food for liberated Europe, said that thousands of Jugoslavs would die this Winter unless more food were sent.. The. people of Jugoslavia knew it was already tob late to save all. Their only concern how was to make the death-roll as small as possible. “If the citizens of America, Canada, Latin America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand could see the'plight of Europe they would not rest quietly until they secured from their Governments a curtailment of their own consumption, so that fewer people would starve in Europe this Winter,” Mr. Sergejchk said. > • Promises made by military liaison officers had been broken, he added. UNRRA allocations had been scaled down. COAL SHORTAGE (Rec. 10.20 a.m.) NEW YORK, July 22. The War Department announced it is repatriating 2605 German war prisoners for work in German coal mines. All will retain the prisoner status. The Army acted in response to urgent requests from the European theatre since it is recognised that serious political and social consequences may result from lack of fuel in Europe this Winter. The “New York Times's” Washington correspondent says Mr. Ickes is planning to ship 6,000,000 tons of coal to Europe this year’ if possible. He declared: “The race in Europe to-day is between coal and anarchy. I do not think it is going too far to say a coal famine of such severity as to destroy nearly all semblance of law and order is certain to occur in certain countries in North-west Europe, unless immediate drastic action is taken. I therefore request the Army to release 30,000 miners for mines in the United States.” Mr. Ickes said the latest estimates showed that Europe would be 25,000,000 tons short of the coal needed by April, 1946. N.Z. CONTRIBUTIONS WELLINGON, July 23. Mr W. Perry, chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the UNRRA clothes drive, said that arrangements had been made throughout New Zealand for primary school children to conduct a drive and for the use of schools as depots from which the clothing will be taken by the P. andT. and Army Transport fo the official depots. In Auckland City the drive would be on Saturday. July 28, and everywhere else on Friday afternoon, August. 3, when the schools would have a half-holiday. Mr Perry suggested that the owners of motorcars could assist by taking parcels, to depots in advance of the school drive and also that drapers and storekeepers might have stocks of clothing which were difficult to sell and that they might make this available. GREYMOUTH COLLECTION. The President of the Lady Galway Patriotic Guild, Greymouth, Mrs. F. A. Kitchingham, said to-day that the response to the appeal for clothing for UNRRA has been splendid but many of the garments sent in require renovating and a quantity need cleaning. She added that the committee of the Guild who were packing the clothing could not contend with the cleaning and renovating at present as it was essential that the cases be packed and shipped without delay. Consequently the committee asked that clothing sent in should be ready for immediate packing.