Settlement Of Refugees Is Delicate Problem

Northern Advocate, 30 July 1938, Page 7

Settlement Of Refugees Is Delicate Problem

(Received 2 p.m.) RUGBY, July 29. The international refugee conference at Evian, and the refugee question in general, were raised in- the House of Commons. Earl Winterton, who represented Great Britain at Evian, said the problem of refugees required most careful and delicate treatment if the position were not to be made worse. The efforts of his colleagues and himself had achieved a very considerable measure of success, but it was only the first step in a continuous process. He paid a warm tribute to the United States, and the support given by the French and other Governments. It was decided at Evian to confine themselves to refugees ff-om Germany and former Austrian territory. What he described as receiving countries had made it clear that they could only take German and Austrian Jews within- the limit of their capacity, but he hoped they would interpret that formula in a more liberal spirit as the result of the Evian meeting. Britain’s Policy. Britain’s policy had been repeatedly explained. It was a middle course of treating the matter as sympathetically as possible, without allowing indiscriminate admission of refugees. It was public opinion which must be the determining factor in this matter, and the holding of the Evian meeting had done much to show the world the urgency of the problem, which demanded sympathetic treatment. They all deplored that it was necessary to impose restrictions at all. Gex’man co-operation in the problem was, of course, most desirable, and if minorities had to leave the country of their birth, he could not believe Germany would ignore the necessity of their having financial resources to do so. A New Committee, A new organising committee would meet in London next week, and he understood it would have a British chairman. Mr Myron Taylor, United States, and Senator Henri de Berenger, deputychairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French Chamber, would be present, and would occupy important positions in the new organisation. A United States delegate would be in a position to nominate an administrator and executive officer of the new body. “I am sure we shall have the goodwill and support of the House in en-