REFUGEES

Hokitika Guardian, 15 February 1939, Page 5

REFUGEES

REPORT SUPPLIED

OF CONFIDENTIAL NATURE. I

(Per British Official Wireless.)

RUGBY, February 13,

; The Inter-Governmental Committee of Refugees received'a confidential report from its director, Mr George Rublee, on his recent conversations in Berlin. An official statement says the committee was also informed that Mr Rublee, whose tenure of the office of directors has been of a temporary nature, was retiring, having carried out his mandate of discussing the problem of involuntary emigration from Germany with the German authorities.

Mr Rublee emphasised that his retirement had no cause other than the completion of the specific task for which he was appointed.

The committee heard statements from the representatives of the United States, France, , thq Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Belgium,' and the United Kingdom concerning the contribution which their governments were in a position to make towards a, solution of tile problem of involuntary’emigration. The chairman, Earl Winterton, drew attention to the large sums being raised in the United Kingdom in response to appeals on behalf of refugees, and emphasised the importance of the responsible Jewish assistance organisations appreciating tnat the best hopes of resettlement of refugees lay in their retraining for life as agriculturists.

The United States delegate, Mr Myron Taylor, said’ his Government was convinced that the problem of involuntary emigration was not yet of a size that the numbers involved could not be reabsorbed by other countries without doirfg injury to their own interests. Already +/he United States was takkig nearly 30,000 refugees from Germany a year.

During the discussion, it, is understood that the Australian, representaMr G. S. Duncan, said his Government was willing to accept 15,000 refugees over three years, while the Dominican representative made known the willingness of his Government to provide ror the reception of 10.000 refugees, including members of the professional classes.