UNRRA ACTIVITIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 July 1946, Page 8

UNRRA ACTIVITIES

FREEDOM FOR FULL PRESS REPORTING

AN AMERICAN PROVISION WASHINGTON, July 16. The Senate passed a bill providing 465,000,000 dollars to finance UNRRA activities, with a provision denying funds to countries which refuse to allow uncensored dispatches relating to UNRRA activities from a reasonable number of American correspondents. The measure will now be returned to the House of Representatives which passed a stronger amendment providing that none of the funds could be used in countries employing censorship. The State Department opposed the House of Representatives amendment on the ground that it would offend Russia, but according to a report it approves the Senate provision. GREEK STATEMENT ON COMPLAINTS (Rec. 11 a.m.) ATHENS, July 17. Mr. Stefanopoulis announced that severe penalties would be applied in any cases of unfair distribution of UNRRA supplies coming to the notice of the Government. He added that the complaints made on July 10, by the chief of the UNRRA mission in Greece, had referred to isolated cases of discrimination on the part of minor Greek officials. MOSCOW ALLEGES POLITICAL MOTIVES LONDON, July 16. The Moscow radio quoting Greece and China as examples says UNRRA is being used as a weapon to advance American political aspirations and is being diverted from the humanitarian aims for which UNRRA was founded. “The food sent by UNRRA is not distributed indiscriminately, but is taken from many hungry mouths to suit the interests of Government representatives,” said the radio. “The UNRRA mission in Greece was told quite openly that supplies should not be distributed in certain villages, pending the establishment of conditions more favourable to the Government.”