REFUGEE PROBLEM ACUTE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21805, 7 November 1940, Page 7

REFUGEE PROBLEM ACUTE

Grim Light On French Plight British Official Wireless (Received November 6, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, November 5. A grim light is thrown on conditions in Franc: by an article in the Swedish newspaper “Dagens Nyheter,” which says that the official French figure of 1,500,000 refugees in the unoccupied territory only includes those registered and supported by the Government. There are also a large number of refugees trying to support themselves and unregistered. They struggle against inhuman difficulties The biggest rc igee centre is Toulouse, through which during the last few months 10,000,000 to 12,000,000 refugees have passed. At present the population of Toulouse is 900,000 instead of the pre-war 250,000 thus all indispensible goods such as food medicine, clothes and bedsheet are terribly scarce. The harvest was bad and communications are very difficult. French, Swedish and other relief committees try to find work for refugees. Toulouse expects to have at least 70,000 refugees to support this winter, among them 10,000 women and children. All nationalities are represented amoc v the refugees— French, German, Polish, Belgian Czech and T 'wish. A few miles from Toulouse the State has organised camp shelters for 500 women and a number of o' ws are soon expected. In Lyons there are about 12,000 people evacuated or expelled iioki /ilsa„--Lorraine A difficult problem is also to find work clothing, food and spiritual for 22,000 girls in Paris aged 14 to 18 who are unable to support themseh es. A hard winter owing to the lack of coal and foodsouxu, u. 4 u --oul di~lculties is expecteu .n nance, according to reports from Stockholm. The Germans are preventing the return of refugees to the Channel ports. The Germans are trying to maintaiv Paris night life as it was before their arrival, and they have ordered nightclubs to reonen.