The League of Nations must make provision not only for the refugees whose status still remains unsettled in the various countries of Europe, but must also make plans to care for the huge number of Jews who will soon be compelled to leave Germany, the League committee of experts was tolday today by James G. MacDonald, High Commissioner for Jewish and other refugees from Germany.
Mr. MacDonald urged the committee to recommend the establishment of a special office under League supervision to handle the problem of refugees. He suggested that the office be headed by an internationally known statesman and emphasized that such an office will successfully fulfill its mission only if it closely cooperates with the central Jewish relief organizations.
Representatives of twelve international Jewish relief organizations are holding a parallel conference here to discuss plans for the removal from Germany within the next six to eight years of some 200,000 Jews. Both conferences opened yesterday.
Mr. MacDonald announced he was returning to the United States December 15.
Representatives of France, Holland, Czechoslovakia and other countries where large numbers of refugees are living testified before the committee today on the possibility of legalizing their status by issuance of permanent residential permits which will include the right to work.
Meanwhile the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed in League circles that the committee (officially known as the committee
on International Assistance to Refugees) will recommend extension of the Nansen Office by the establishment of a special bureau under its supervision to deal with the problem of Jewish and other refugees from Germany.
Jewish leaders here, however, are not satisfied with this solution of the problem, since they contend that it will not help the thousands still within Germany who are anxious to settle permanently abroad.
In an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Dr. Arthur Ruppin, head of the World Zionist Executive’s department for economic planning, declared that the South American countries are definitely recovering from the world economic crisis and might be able to absorb a considerable number of Jews from Germany.
Dr. Ruppin has just returned from a tour of investigation in South America to determine colonization possibilities for refugees.
“The countries in South America are very rich in natural resources of which only a small portion have been developed,” he stated. “They also are very promising agriculturally and in climatic conditions. These countries are rapidly recovering from the economic depression and will play a big role in the future economic development of the entire world.
“Although these countries are now practically closed to immigration there is ground for the belief that the immigration bars will soon be lifted, as the economic recovery progresses.
“German Jews, of whom a few thousand are already settled there, are adjusting themselves comparatively easily to the mode of life and are being absorbed in the countries’ economic system.
Dr. Ruppin stated also that Polish and other Jews who have settled in South American lands are satisfied with life there. He said that eventually Jews trained as artisans will be especially welcomed in South America.
Strong opposition to the projected international bank to help Jews emigrating from Germany to withdraw their capital was voiced last night by a majority of representatives at the conference of Jewish relief organizations. Reasons advanced were that such a project, which could be operated only under a transfer agreement such as obtains between Palestine and Germany, would clash with the boycott and that Germany is not in a position to observe such an agreement and meet the large obligations it would incur abroad.
As a result of the objections to the proposed bank plan it is considered unlikely that it will be presented for the consideration of the League committee.
The League committee’s session, which is under the chairmanship of Dr. Stephan Osuski, Czechoslovak Minister to Paris, will continue until Dec. 5.
It was decided at last night’s session of the Jewish organizations’ conference that the various groups be represented before the League committee at the hearings starting Sunday by a united body instead of individually. The following were appointed to appear before the committee:
Dr. Arthur Ruppin and Dr. Nahum Goldmann, for the Jewish Agency for Palestine; Dr. Bernhard Kahn for the Joint Distribution Committee; Prof. Guggenheim for the Committee of Jewish Delegations; Otto Schiff for the British Jewish organizations; and Louis Oungre for the Jewish Colonization Association.
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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.
