$13,878,796 Pledged to Unrwa by 41 Governments, with U.S. Delaying Its Decision

Pledges totalling $13,878,796 were made Friday by governments for the 1970 operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The amounts will be made available to UNRWA in cash and in goods and services.

The United States refrained from making a pledge, pending a final decision by the Government. Miss Angie Brooks of Liberia, president of the General Assembly, told the representatives that UNRWA faced a serious financial crisis, UNRWA commissioner-general. Laurence Michelmore, said the agency must be provided with adequate resources. The total pledged included a special contribution of $2.73 million from West Germany, which is not a United Nations member.

Dr. Michelmore said all the needs of UNRWA continued to grow, particularly in education. He said the number of children in UNRWA UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization schools had reached nearly 230,000, about 10 percent more than a year ago, and that the greater census would add nearly a million dollars to the UNWRA budget. As before, neither the Soviet Union nor any Communist government pledged anything.

Joseph Johnson of the U.S. said that he welcomed indications that Lebanese authorities were making arrangements to assume again their responsibility for maintenance of order in UNRWA camps in Lebanon. Fifteen camps were taken over by guerrillas last month in clashes with Lebanese forces. He said the U.S. had supported UNRWA from the start and would continue to do so, adding that the U.S. has contributed 70 percent of the $700 million spent by the agency.

Shamay Cahana of Israel said that the heavy burden imposed on Israel from the war against it by the Arab states was a factor in its contribution. He said that subject to parliamentary approval, his government would make a cash contribution equivalent to $71,430 and added that funds for humanitarian aid must not give help to states hostile to member states.