CHILD REFUGEES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23699, 4 July 1940, Page 10

CHILD REFUGEES

LATEST DETAILS HOMES IN DOMINIONS DEEP BRITISH GRATITUDE By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received July 3; f>.35 p.m.) ... • LONDON, July '■> The Under-Secretary for the Dominions, Mr. Geoffrey Shakespeare, announced in the House of Commons that Mr. George Gibson, well known! in trade union circles for his knowledge of migration, • had been appointed to advise the Children's; Overseas Reception Society om labour questions connected with migration. Mr. Tom. Henderson, equally well known in Scotland, will be liaison officer between the society and Scottish organisations.

Applications have been received from local authorities in .England and Wales regarding over 40.000 children attending grant-aided schools, iir addition to about 12,000 applications direct from parents. The liaison officers will be appointed to tho staff of tho Dominion High Commissioners.

Provisional Acceptance The grouping of hundreds of children for evacuation to the Dominions has reached a stage at which a number of parents will be notified to-morrow that their children have been provisionally accepted. Mr. Shakespeare was announcing the latest details in the House of Commons as German bombers again crorsed the coast in a daylight raid. He said that parents would send the children at. their own risk. They must choose between the risk of the voyage and the risk of staying in Great Britain. "Our object is to proceed as quickly as human ingenuity can devise." Mr. Shakespeare said, "but we cannot dispense with precautions for the safety and welfare of the children. Welfare on Voyage Doctors appointed by the Dominion High Commissioners would give a personal medical examination to every child, and doctors, nurses and chaplains would accompany every ship. The children would be regularly taught about conditions in the Dominion. On their arrival they would be accommodated in hostels, which would servo as clearing houses. Mr, Shakespeare said that children, from whatever school they came, would proceed on the same ship without distinctions. If they were to pass the school leaving age, special arrangements would be made to find emplojment for them.

The Government's scheme would not cover the suggested plan for children going to certain schools in Canada, which had links with British schools, under an arrangement where the parents paid fees into a trust fund which would bo blocked for the duration of the war. The Government had agreed there should he no privileged classes in its scheme.

With regard to the suggestion for the evacuation overseas of schools as complete units, the Government fundamentally opposed any such policy. Mr. Shakespeare also mentioned the receipt of £SOO from a Canadian lady. This sum would be spent 011 clothing, games and books for use by children on the journey.

"Wo are importing fighting men from the Dominions and we are exporting to the Dominions the best of our children," Mr. Shakespeare concluded. For this double blessing the Mother Country would be for ever in the debt of the daughter Dominions.