CHEEK REFUGEES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19350, 10 December 1924, Page 7

CHEEK REFUGEES

NEW INTERNATIONAL LOAN

RBADH.Y SUBSCRIBED IN LONDON.

Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, December 8. The London portion (£7,250,000) of the Greek 7 per cent, refugee loan, issued at 88 under the auspices of the League of Nations, was snapped up. The list closed an hour after opening. The additional £4,800,000 is being issued at Athens and New York. The control of the loan will be exercised by the International Financial Commission. —Reuter.

HEAVILY OVERSUBSCRIBED. LONDON, December 8. (Received Dec. 9, at 8.45 p.m.) The Greek loan was subscribed 20 times over. —A. and N.Z. Cable. DAILY HERALD’S CRITICISM. AN APPEAL TO MONEY-GRUBBERS. LONDON, December 8. (Received Dec. 9, at 10 p.m.) The Daily Herald protests that the Greek loan “Is a revolting appeal to money-grubbers, who are anxious to get a safe 8 per cent, apart from the chance of having luck in the draw when the loan is redeemed by yearly drawings. The terms of issue were absurdly low. The League of Nations is playing into the hands of the monied interests and disgusting honest folk.”—A. and N.Z. Cable.

In accordance with a clause in the Treaty of Lausanne establishing peace between Greece and Turkey it was agreed that a total exchange of the Christian population of Turkey with the Mohammedan population of Greece should be carried out. The compulsory exchange started at the beginning of 1924, but prior to this about 1,000,000 Greeks and Armenians had been received into Greece, mainly from Asia Minor and Eastern Thrace. During the present year at least a further 200,000 Greeks have been repatriated under the terms of the compulsory exchange making about 1,200,000 in all, whereas the number of Mohammedans transported from Greece to Turkey has been only about 450,000. One commentator dealing with the exodus of Greeks from Turkey says; “I myself witnessed with aching heart the sad and painful ordeal of these unfortunate refugees. Wonders were accomplished by the Greek Government, itself in the grip of serious difficulties of every kind, but the task was quite out of proportion to its very limited resources.” sor a time various charitable organisations sought to cope with the great burden of relief that was rendered necessary, but finally an international loan of £6,000,090 was floated, and last month, mainly wring to the good offices of Great Britain, it was decided to increase this amount to £10,000,000.