Only Limited Settlement Possibilities in Dutch Guiana, Colonial Minister Says

The restricted possibilities for settling Jewish refugees in Dutch Guiana were stressed by Colonial Minister Welter in a statement.

“The possibilities for increasing the population in Surinam (Dutch Guiana) are limited,” Mr. Welter said. “It will be impossible to increase it by 50,000. Reports of unlimited development possibilities of Surinam belong to the realm of fairy tales. Immigration of Europeans in large numbers into Surinam is absolutely impossible because there are no opportunities there for manual labor. It is different regarding people with capital. The plans of the Dutch Government in this respect are clear and definite. The Government will in the first place allow the immigration of natives from Java, since Surinam is above all a tropical country.”

The Governor of Surinam, M. Kielstra, has submitted a memorandum to both Houses of the Dutch Parliament dealing with the immigration of Jews into Surinam. “After discussing the problem of immigration of Jews from Central Europe into Surinam with a number of official and private organizations,” the memorandum states, “it has been established that there are only limited possibilities for such immigration into Dutch Guiana. The country cannot be saddled with the burden of settling groups of unsuitable colonists who will most probably not be admitted elsewhere.

“From the practical point of view,” the memorandum continues, “there are possibilities for settling one group of colonists trained in agriculture and capable of starting plantations of citrus trees and perhaps a few other suitable agricultural products, and another group able to start industries of which there is a need in Surinam. Both categories of immigrants must, however, be provided with sufficient means.

“I have just been informed,” Mr. Kielstra concludes his report, “that an agricultural expert will shortly arrive in Surinam to study on the spot the possibilities for settling Jewish immigrants.”