BRITISH CHILDREN FOR OVERSEAS

Southland Times, Issue 24162, 26 June 1940, Page 6

BRITISH CHILDREN FOR OVERSEAS

LONDON, June 24. The report of the inter-departmental committee about children for overseas has been issued. It confirms the main details reported earlier. If the applications become too numerous preference will be given to applicants already evacuated under the United Kingdom scheme. Arrangements should be made by the receiving body for supplying children with extra suitable clothes on their arrival in various‘countries. The board should make a per capita grant for this charge. The generous offers of maintenance from overseas have not yet been fully formulated, but the committee recommends that where the United Kingdom contributes towards maintenance it should be on a flat rate, irrespective of the actual contributions from individual parents. These latter contributions will be at the same rate as under the United Kingdom exacuations —up to nine shillings a week where parents are agreeable, but six shillings or, in some cases, less, where parents are unable to offer more. Parents of children attending schools not aided by grants may be asked to pay higher contributions. Parents will be allowed to name relations or friends overseas to whom they would like their children t> be sent.

The Ministry of Health announces that the evacuation of registered school children from Portsmouth, Southampton and Gosport has been ordered. The movement, involving about 9000 children, will take place on Thursday and Friday of this week. The children will be taken to areas in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Wales and Somerset, where the greater dispersal of the population offers greater safety. This decision follows the removal of 40,000 children from the east and south-east coast towns and 100,000 from Greater London.