STARVING PEOPLES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25673, 23 October 1944, Page 4

STARVING PEOPLES

PROVISION OF RELIEF HEAVY TASK AHEAD A description of the operations of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation- Administration was given in a broadcast talk last night by Mr Rolf Nugent, economic adviser to the Bureau of Supply, U.N.R.R.A. “U.N.R.R.A. was established by 44 nations that have been united in war,” Mr Nugent said. “Now they are joining together to proyide relief to the areas liberated from enemy control. Perhaps half, of our expenditures will be for food, and for seeds, fertilisers and equipment for producing food. Then there will be clothing, medical supplies and materials for essential repairs. In addition, some countries will need skilled ‘«professional assistance, such as physicians and nurses to control epidemics, and engineers to help with essential repairs. Appalling Conditions

“I have found in talking with the people in a number of countries that there is a hatred of hunger everywhere, no matter how far from the actual scene,” Mr Nugent said. “A good example of this attitude is the shipment New Zealand has already made to Greece, in addition to her commitments to U.N.R.R.A. This typifies the willingness of people all over the world, who have much, to share with those whose countries have been occupied by our common enemy and devastated by war.

“ The food situation varies . enormously within occupied Europe. I believe it can be said that no occupied country is well fed. But corfditions have varied from a slim and unpalatable diet in France, Belgium and Holland, to abject starvation in parts of Poland, Greece and Jugoslavia. The reports of conditions among children in Greece and Jugoslavia are appalling. In Athens and the larger cities of Greece, food shipments to the Swedish Relief Commission have helped, but this work has not extended to the villages. i. “When we speak of New Zealand we think primarily of food. We would like particularly to get cheese, meat and dried'milk from this country,” Mr Nugent continued. “The principal supplying countries for cereals will be Canada and the United-States. We had hoped to get wheat from Australia, but the • drought there may make it difficult. Problem of Food Habits “The foqd habits in liberated countries are a real problem, particularly in China, where rice is one of the main dietary staples. We are short of rice all over the Allied world because Burma and Indo-China, the principal suppliers, have been cut off. ‘ We hope that the liberation of these countries Will make it possible for us to get some rice for China. Otherwise we will have to rely in part on rice substitutes—wheat and barley prepared in such a way that , they will be acceptable to rice-eating communities.”' j , Next to food, medical supplies would be the most pressing need, in order to control epidemics that were now raging and to restore normal medical services. The situation of the clothing supply in liberated countries varied. In many of the occupied countries there had been surplus.manufacturing capacity, but raw materials have been short. The German Army had been taking much of the wool supply of Europe for military and civilians bad been compelled to rely largely on synthetic fibres. .In some countries where there was a high standard of living before the war wardrobes supplemented by current production had lasted through, fairly well, but in other,countries the people were in rags. ' ■ International Staff ;ty • " U.N.R.R.A. has no responsibility for industrial reconstruction, 1 ’ Mr Nugent said. “ Our job is to provide only the minimum essentials of. existence;,and the repair facilities for essential 'services. Relief must come, first, and that in itself will tax U.N.R.R.A.’s resources. U.N.R.R.A, is, an .international, organisation, and we hope to make its staff equally international. We are planning to recruit some doctors', nurses, engineers, professional social workers, and other technically trained ..people from New Zealand for work in bur field missions, or in our, headquarters office at Washington, or our offices in London, Cairo, and Sydney. “ I think this the greatest' relief organisation in history, especially in regard to its World-wide basis,” Mr Nugent concluded. “It takes in.the return of some 7,000,000 people to their home countries. Hitler has made a devil’s omelette of Europe, and it will be our job to unscramble the mixture. We will also have an enormous job to do in China, which has a lot of special, problems of its own. I do not know how long our work will take, but I anticipate at least three years. I feel very satisfied with the results of my mission to New Zealand. I have had the finest co-operation from everyone. I am convinced that both the Government and the people of New Zealand are ready to do even more than their share in the work of preventing human suffering.”