PLIGHT OF REFUGEES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 247, 16 September 1935, Page 6

PLIGHT OF REFUGEES.

Many difficulties still confront the High Commission for Refugees from Germany, an organisation which has been functioning for many months but of whose activities little has been heard recently, probably due to the incidence of Nazi policy being overshadowed by the more momentous occurrences involving other countries. It will be recalled that when conditions became acute, particularly as they affected thousands of Jews and lesser numbers out of sympathy with Nazi ideals and practices, and the stream flowed out of Germany to become a serious social burden on other countries, the Commission was set up to deal with the subject. It is representative of the League of Nations, with Mr James G. McDonald as High Commissioner, and aims at placing the “people without a country’’ in economic channels with the co-operation of the other nations. At a recent meeting of the Commission in London, the chairman (Lord Cecil) stressed the desirability of considering whether or not it would be betetr to place all refugee organisations under the central administration of the League of Nations. There had been overlapping and, consequently, wasted effort. The High Commissioner emphasised this, too. He could see no prospect of the task of providing for German refugees being carried to completion except under an organisation created by the League as an integral part of the League system. Discussions had taken place with several countries —in South America, for instance —regarding the placing of these people, and many had gone to new countries and been absorbed there. But there remained 15,000 unplaced. Not only were they almost destitute, but even if aided by financial help, more of which by the way was most urgently needed, they might find it difficult to gain -permission to live in certain countries. In the meantime this great problem awaits a solution, and it redounds to the credit of France that she has averted a tragedy of immense magnitude by opening the door to the stream of refugees, which is continuing though on a smaller scale, the Nansen Office is another agency dealing with the problem--par-ticularly of Saar refugees —but lack of co-ordinated effort is stulifying the aims of the chief organisation.