AID TO REFUGEES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19697, 1 August 1938, Page 14

AID TO REFUGEES

PROBLEM IN EUROPE JEWS FROM GERMAN AREAS TASK FOR COMMITTEE MEETING IN LONDON' (British Official Wirnlosa.) RUGBY, July 29. The subjects of the conference at Evian and the European refugee question were raised in the House of Commons by Earl Winterton, who said the problem of refugees required most careful and delicate treatment fi the position were not to be made worse. The efforts 'of his colleagues and himself had achieved a very considerable measure of success, but it was only the first step in a continuous process. He paid a warm tribute to the United States and to the support given by the French and other Governments. It was decided at the Evian conference to confine the discussion to refugees from Germany and the fromer Austrian territory. What he described as receiving countries had made it clear they could only take German and Austrian Jews within the limits of their capacity, but he hoped they would interpret that formula in a more liberal spirit as a result of the Evian meeting. Britain's policy had been repeatedly explained. It was the middle course of treating the matter as sympathetically as possible without allowing an indiscriminate admission of refugees. It was public opinion which must be the determining factor in this matter and the holding of the Evian meeting had done much to show the world the urgency of the problem which demanded sympathetic treatment. They all deplored that it was necessary to impose restrictions at all. German co-operation in the problem was, of course, most desirable, and if minorities had to leave the country of their birth, he could not believe that Germany would ignore the necessity of their having financial resources to do so. The new organising committee would be meeting in London next week and he understood it would have a British chairman. Mr. Myren Taylor, United States, and Senator Henri de Berenger, deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French Chamber, would be present and would occupy important positions in the new organisation. The United States delegate would be in a position to nominate the administrator and executive officer of the new body. "I am sure that we shall have the goodwill and support of the House in endeavouring to alleviate and mitigate, if we cannot solve, this difficult and indeed terrible problem," said Earl Winterton. Sir Percy Harris (Lib., Bethnell Green), commenting on the Evian conference, said that it was distressing that more encouragement had not been given for using the vast territories in Australila. Many Powers were casting hungry eyes on some of the Empire's undeveloped land. It was a pity that Australia was not more sympathetic.