The British Government is ready to participate in such actions as are possible to deal with the problem of refugees from Germany, Richard A. Butler, Parliamentary Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, told the House of Commons today. However, he did not consider feasible the proposal of Geoffrey Mander, Liberal, to take steps to secure full civil liberties for racial minorities in Germany by direct negotiations or through the league of Nations machinery.
Replying to Mr. Mander’s supplementary statement that it was the British Government’s duty to do all possible to stop “the gross cruelty at present inflicted on Jewish minorities in Germany,” the Foreign Undersecretary declared the Government was doing all it could. Regarding the United States Government’s proposal for international aid to refugees, Mr. Butler pointed out to Mr. Mander that the Washington plan involved financing of refugee emigration by private agencies, and therefore the question of a Parliamentary grant did not arise.
Mr. Graham asked the government to ascertain how far the French island colony of Madagascar would be opened to Jewish immigration, “thus relieving Palestine of further congestion and friction consequent upon a renewed exodus of Jews from Central and Eastern Europe.” Mr. Butler replied that while the Government was naturally sympathetic to any immigration proposal having the French Government’s approval, it did not contemplate approaching the French Government on the question. He added that he understood the French Government was considering the possibility of encouraging Jewish immigration to Madagascar.
He announced that we would soon make a statement on the question of league protection for Austrian refugees. At the present time, the League High Commission for German Refugees does not consider Austrian emigres within its province.
The German Government has withdrawn an order requiring “non-Aryans” to obtain police permission to leave Austria after three days in the country, the Daily Express reported today. Withdrawal of the order, the paper declared, followed a protest by the British Government to Berlin, in which the Government was represented as taking a grave view of discrimination against “non-Aryans and also against the implication in the order that in some cases British subjects might not be permitted to leave Austria.
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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.
