UNRRA’S ACTIVITIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1946, Page 6

UNRRA’S ACTIVITIES

CESSATION WITHIN NINE MONTHS PROPOSAL TO POWERS NEW' YORK, July 27. “Britain, America and Canada will recommend the ending of UNRRA’s activities within the next nine months and will oppose the creation of any elaborate international organisation to replace it,” reports the New York Times correspondent in Washington.

“These countries, which have'provided 94 per cent of UNRRA’s funds have reached general agreement that “(1) A new refugee organisation will have to be established for the care of displaced persons, probably under the United Nations.. “(2) That UNRRA’s health activities should be taken over by the new world health organisation. “(3) That some of UNRRA’s rehabilitation functions should bo taken over by the World Bank.

“(4) That the major UNRRA tasks of delivering supplies for the relief and rehabilitation of devastated areas will have to be dealt with on a national basis, with those needing relief seeking it wherever they think they can get it. “Attempts will probably bo made at the final meeting of the UNRRA Council at Geneva in August _to create an international organisation to carry on UNRRA’s work in Europe after the end of the year and in Asia after April 30, 1947. “The Director-General (Mr. F. H. La Guardia) is expected to announce his resignation at Geneva and to propose several suggestions for carrying on UNRRA’s work, but without the support of the three main sources of supply and finance ho is unlikely to make much headway.

“The feeling in Washington is that the longer an international relief organisation exists Hie longer some countries will continue io use it as a means of relief rather than making the maximum effort to assist themselves. Furthermore, it is argued that under the political structure now existing in Eastern Europe the Soviet is unfairly able to demand concessions from the nations in its European bloc while saddling UNRRA and its principal contributors' with the task of relief in the Soviet bloc.”