EUROPEAN RELIEF

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27042, 29 March 1949, Page 6

EUROPEAN RELIEF

WORK OF THE CHURCH PROBLEMS TO BE FACED Now that the most urgent problem of starvation in Europe had, to a large extent, been overcome, the World Council of Chui'ches organisation would devote its energy and resources to its primary purpose—the rehabilitation of the Church, said the Very Rev. Dr J. Hutchison Cockburn, director of the Reconstruction Department of the World Council of Churches, in an interview with the Daily Times last evening. The World Council, he said, had been able ,to carry on its work throughout Europe, but there had been increasing difficulties in the countries behind the “Iron Curtain.” The problems of the organisation in working in the Communist-domi-nated countries has been illustrated by the recent charges of espionage and black-marketing laid against pastors by the Bulgarian Government. Asked about this incident, Dr Cockburn said that, so far as the World Council was concerned, there was not a grain of truth in the accusations. The Bulgarian Government had actually cited Dr Cockburn himself in connection with the trials. “ I know nothing whatever about what those ministers did so far as other indicted persons were concerned,” he said. “It is interesting to know that the British Government has issued a statement to the effect that in the trials it was alleged that these men had dealings with a certain official of the British Embassy a year before he was in Bulgaria at all. This makes one gravely suspicious of the whole business.” Dr Cockburn’s visit to New Zealand is being made at the invitation of the National Council of Churches in order

that a more intimate knowledge may be gained in New Zealand of the work of tne World Council in Europe. “ But I do not want to speak too much about that,” he said smilingly last evening “ I have to cover that ground in m,y public address and 1 find it useless to talk to people when they say, ‘Oh, 1 read all that in the paper this morning.’ We must find something else to talk about.” The eminent church leader’s hobby of fishing was not productive of very much conversation for, if Dr Cockburn entertained hopes of indulging in his hobby while nere, they nave been destroyed. He had one opportunity, which proved unfavourable, in the north, while his visit to Central Otago over the past week-end was marred by unpleasant weather. Western Europe was coming back to normal again, Dr Cockburn saiu. With excellent harvests' during the past few years, the • problem of starvation had been beaten. There were still hungry people in some places, but few were actually starving. Travel was coming back to pre-war comfori and regularity, but many of the Continental countries were missing the British tourists on whom their tourist industries had been built. Hotels in Switzerland, for instance, were about half empty and their managers were looking to the day when travel restrictions would be relaxed for British people. Switzerland was as busy as ever he said. The great buildings which haa housed the ill-fated League of Nations ■were all occupied by various international organisations. For foreigners working there, however, theie were some financial hardships. In his own case, he had had to pay both British and Swiss income tax and, in addition, the Swiss Government imposed a heavy tax on resident tor eigners as well as nationals to assist in paying for the costly fortifications and arsenals which were built there during the war. The Swiss were hopeful that their fortified alps would continue to protect them in the event of any future conflict, he said, and they had an additional reassurance in the fact that countries at war always wanted some neutral _ international exchange point for banking, Red Cioss and. unhappily, espionage communications.

With major hydro-electric projects in prospect in Otago, one comment of Dr Cockburn’s was of particular interest. “It is not generally realised” he said, ‘‘that Switzerland is an important industrial country and that they make some of the finest water turbine machinery in the world With no coal in their own country thev are dependent on water power and have naturally developed then constructional industry in that direction.” . . , . , Dr Cockburn began his ministerial career in 1908. and from 1918 to 194 p was minister of Dunblane Cathedral, Perthshire. Now that he has i esigned from the World Council organisation he is hoping to find time to continue with a project he has entertained for 40 years—writing the history of his cathedral. With some 700 years of history behind it. it should provide him With ample scope for research and writing.