Possibilities for settlement of refugees in three Latin American countries the Dominican Republic, Bolivia and the French West Indian colony of Dominica– were under discussion today by refugee aid organizations.
General Rafael L. Trujillo, ex-President of the Dominican Republic and commander-in-chief of the Republic’s army, arrived here yesterday from New York, confirming his interest in the Jewish refugee situation. He said he had come to France on a personal visit to meet his wife, who has been in Paris for some time, but important Jewish leaders in France contemplated meeting him privately to discuss refugee settlement in his country.
Persons close to General Trujillo disclosed that he was willing to consider admission of 10,000 refugee families provided that the negotiations were conducted by responsible organizations able to give security for the undertaking. In such case 25 families would be admitted monthly. (On leaving New York last week, Gen. Trujillo issued a statement declaring that his country was prepared immediately to admit as a first unit 500 Jewish refugee families without restrictions.)
Initial capital of $500 per family, partly in goods, would be necessary. Temporary barracks wold cast $20 per family; timber for building houses is plentiful in the proposed colonization area. The Government may be disposed under certain conditions to supply workmen for building purposes.
At the same time information was received of ne possibilities for large-scale “en bloc” refugee settlement in Bolivia on a private estate of 7,000,000 hectares (about 17,500,000 acres), which is a territory larger than Switzerland and which is said to be able to absorb up to 100,000 persons. The 80-year-old owner of the estate has proposed its sale at $1 per hectare and has also offered 100,000 head of cattle and existing buildings at nominal prices.
The land is situated on the upper Amazon, bordering Brazil and Peru. It consists largely of primeval forest and pampas land but is partially colonized. Many houses, warehouses and a hospital are already available which could be transferred to the settlers upon arrival. Streams with fish, fertile land and large game preserves exist. From this estate there is a monthly export of 200 tons of rubber and nuts. The climate is tropical and the Indians working there are settled on the spot.
An investigation conducted by the Colonial Office regarding possibilities for settlement of refugees in Dominica not to be confused with the Dominican Republic — has established that there are about 200 square miles lying idle, but the greater part is uncultivable. The local authorities are not unfavorable to refugee settlement but the settlers would have to be agriculturists and their number fixed.
Since it takes time to cultivate plantations, organizations would have to look after the settlers. They would also be requested to guarantee the Government against the settlers’ becoming public charges and to undertake to defray the cost of repatriation should this become necessary within a fixed number of years.
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.
