Ship Bound Refugees Find Havens Through Action by Hias-ica

A number of Jewish refugees who have been shunted from country to country on four German steamers have finally found havens, it was announced today by the HIAS-ICA Emigration Association, which had successfully intervened on their behalf. The four steamers were the last of eight German vessels which had been plying the oceans between Germany and the Americas for the last two months trying to land a total of 411 refugees in various ports.

The steamer St. Martin, after vainly trying to disembark its passengers at every Latin American port, was on the way back to Germany and certain concentration camps for the refugees, when it was permitted to land its cargo at Lisbon. The steamer Oceanisa, after a similar experience, was allowed to land its passengers at Gibraltar with the approval of the British Government. The two remaining ships, the Cap Norte and the Artigas, were allowed to disembark the refugees at Montevideo, Uruguay, whence they will go on to Chile with the permission of the Chilean Government.

Believing that further successful intervention will be impossible, the HIAS-ICA has reiterated its warnings to all steamship companies not to engage in “adventurous emigration” practices. Simultaneously, the organization appealed to Latin American countries to follow the example of the United States, Australia and the Union of South Africa in setting definite immigration quotas as a means of eliminating racketeering.

Directors James Bernstein and Edouard Oungre of the HIAS-ICA praised the governments of Venezuela, Chile and Ecuador for helping in emergency cases of ship-bound refugees, declaring they had saved many from desperate positions. They emphasized, however, that the refugee problem could be solved if every country of immigration set definite quotas.