A group of 350 interned refugees, who were sent from England to Australia in 1939, have been released and are engaged in fruit picking in the state of Victoria, refugee relief headquarters were informed today by Major Layion, the Home Office representative in Australia. A good many of these refugees are Jewish.
Another 500 refugees will be released to perform work of national importance as soon as the necessary administrative machinery is set up, Major Layion reported. After the 350 already freed have completed the fruit picking, they will be admitted into labor battalions of the Australian army. Aged and infirm people as well as youths under eighteen will also be released as soon as arrangements are made for their maintenance.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.