LEGACY FROM WAR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26042, 4 January 1946, Page 6

LEGACY FROM WAR

MILLIONS HOMELESS RELIEF OPERATIONS LONDON, Jan. 2. If the 1946 programme is carried out U.N.R.R.A. will have disbursed almost £1,000,000.000, of which the United States will have contributed more than half. ; This is disclosed in a New Year statement issued by the directorgeneral, Mr Herbert Lehman. China is to be the principal beneficiary under the new programme, £168,000,000 being set aside to meet Chinese needs. Aid would be provided in 1946 for the White Russian and Ukrainian Republics, which suffered destruction on a scale never before known. Millions were rendered homeless and more than 25.000,000 were without shelter save such as they could get in caves, dugouts and ruined buildings. The Ukrainian Republic had requested £47,250,000. and White Russia £15,250,000. U.N.R.R.A. allocations to Greece, Italy and Jugoslavia exceeded £100,000,000 in each case.

The examination of Korean relief needs and the required provisions was getting under way. A small U.N.R.R.A. delegation, at General MacArthur’s invitation, was to visit Americanoccupied districts in Korea early this month. A similar invitation from Russian-occupied Korea can be expected. * Relief shipments and services rapidly expanded through the autumn months. Shipments by November 30 had risen to 10,000 long ions. It was hoped that December shipments would be almost 1,000,000 tons, and that January shipments would exceed December’s. U.N.R.R.A.’s operating resources were provided by 31 uninvaded nations, of which 29 so far had pledged contributions. Liberia and Guatemala are still to take action. The contributions so far received total £466,655,148. The United States had authorised a full second contribution of £337.500,000. and had appropriated £187,500,000. The United Kingdom had also authorised the full second contribution of approximately £75.000,000. U.N.R.R.A. was proceeding with a plan for one year on the assumption that other member nations would accede to the requests of the council to provide means for carrying out operations. Breadstuffs were the basis of austerity diets which the former battleground countries were contemplating for the winter. The basic state of health and energy of millions would deteriorate still further if that foundation were undercut.