A.—2a

By countries receiving aid, the programme of shipments estimated to 31st December, 1945, included : — $ Poland .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 274 millions Jugoslavia .. .. .. .. .. .. . • 249 ~ Greece .. .. .. .. .. . • • • 246 ~ Czechoslovakia .. .. .. .. .. . ■ 203 ~ Italy .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 37 ~ China .. .. .. .. .. .. . • 22 ~ Albania .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 17 ~ Total .. .. .. .. .. 1,048 ~ The above estimates are necessarily approximate and are subject to revision in the light of changing programmes and, in the case of shipments, in the light of shipping availability, port capacity, &c. These foregoing statistics, even those showing requirements far exceeding estimated contributions, do not, of course, portray in any humanly impressive way the case for further contributions. For this one looks to the story of conditions in the lands calling for relief and, still more, as we stand upon the threshold of the northern hemisphere winter, to the forecasts of what lies ahead. First, a couple of notes of appreciation of what has been accomplished. The Czechoslovak Foreign Minister said : — "We in Czechoslovakia are very, very grateful to UNRRA. UNRRA came in time; even a little sooner than we expected. There was still fighting in the eastern part of our country, and victory was moving towards Prague when the people of UNRRA arrived; at one time 153 UNRRA trucks was all the transport we had in the whole of Czechoslovakia. " The situation was desperate when UNRRA arrived. In Eastern Slovakia and in the capital of Brno there was definite starvation. They came in time. For about ten days the people were getting nothing except a bit of very inferior bread. UNRRA came with meat, fats, prunes, and also even coffee ! Then medical supplies. We were at the threshold of a typhus and typhoid epidemic. We got penicillin and other drugs in time, and a disastrous situation was averted." Then the Yugoslav representative quoted his Prime Minister, Marshall Tito, in expressing gratitude " because UNRRA really had saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of our compatriots this spring. If it were not for the help that UNRRA had given to the inhabitants of the western part of Yugoslavia, hundreds of thousands of Yugoslavs would have died from starvation." Similarly, thanks were recorded from Greece for relief—timely, though still inadequate. As to conditions in countries needing relief, some statements at the 1945 UNRRA Council meeting read:— " We Yugoslavia have lost the lives of 1,685,000 people —10 per cent, of the population. We have 98,000 invalids who are totally incapacitated, and the families of 353,000 soldiers to support. We have 88,000 orphans who do not "remember the names of their fathers or of the villages where they were born. Another 485,000 orphans have some member of their families to take care of them, but need public assistance ; another 658,000 children need help from public funds. Altogether, more than five million people are direct victims of war in Yugoslavia. On the average, there are in every family two members at least affected by the war. Then 470,000 houses and other buildings were destroyed ; it would take twelve years of normal building activity in our country to make good this war loss. We have lost nearly one million horses, some three million head of cattle, nearly two million pigs, and ten million poultry. " Byelorussia lost 1,386,000 persons who were tortured by shooting, hanging, burning, or were gassed to death. More than 1,200,000 peasant holdings have been destroyed ; nearly all the industrial buildings have been blown up ; agriculture has been devastated. The area under the plough has been sharply decreased —cereals by 42 per cent.; technical crops by 86 per cent. ; potatoes by 53 per cent. ; grass land is entirely ruined. The number of horses has been reduced by 70 per cent. ; cattle by 77 per cent.; sheep by 80 per cent.; hogs by 91 per cent." " In Europe reports indicate that on the average at least 15 per cent, of the population in the five countries which have requested UNRRA aid (exclusive of Italy) will require imports of basic household equipment to enable them to resume living in their own homes. The enemy's policy in the Balkans of burning villages has made the need for aid more widespread than originally supposed. In Greece, over 1,000 villages were burned and more than 1,000,000 persons are reported to be homeless; in Albania thousands are reported to be living in makeshift shelters as the result of the destruction of 250 villages. Yugoslavia recently requested imports of basic household equipment for 4,000,000 persons, or about 25 per cent, of her population." "It is estimated that in China approximately 4,000,000 persons will require temporary group feeding." (The last two are extracts from the Director-General's " Programme of Operations," August, 1945.) The Director-General, Governor Lehman, had visited south-eastern Europe immediately before the Council session began, and he spoke of what he had seen " in each liberated land, blasted ports and railways, decimated herds, gutted fields, destroyed industrial plants, Ijoraeless, ragged, hungry people, debased currencies." He, and, indeed, all speakers in touch with conditions in Europe or in Asia, expressed their fears of the coming winter, their sense of the urgency of the work to be done. " The situation is still menacing. But it is manageable. If, as may still happen, millions, and perhaps many millions, in liberated Europe again this winter freeze and starve, with political, chaos as a result, this will not be the unavoidable result of destruction and world shortage. It will bo due to defects in organization, in and outside Europe, to psychological factors, in general to all that prevents the available man-power from making full use of the available factories, land, and raw materials." (Quoted from Sir Arthur Salter, M.P., in the Observer, 26th August, 1945.)

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