Evening star., 1940-08-02
Drive Opened for $5 100000
To Assist Refugee Children
Funds Particularly Needed for Core After
Arrival, Committee Director Soys
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, Aug. "A Nation
wide campaign to raise S., 900 900 to
lend every assistance possible to the
100000 British children registered
for evacuation, $4,000 of them
specifically for the United States,
has been launched here by the
United States Committee for the
Care OF European Children, Inc.
Marshall Field, president Of the
committee, was host to about 60
business executives, bankers, in
dustrialists and other business and
civic leaders at a luncheon here yes
terday. and plans were discussed for
obtaining the 81 SOC, 900 quota which
has been assigned to New York.
Mr.. Field told the gathering that
visas already have been obtained for
almost 5000 children in England.
They will come from all types of
families-"from Welsh coal miners
to oxford dons"-Mr. Field ex-
planned, and are to be transported
as swiftly as possible on ships to
the United States and Canada.
Aid for All Nationalities.
He made it clear that children of
all nationalities would be brought
over. but that there is no way of
sending ships to any ports save those
of England. And, since the COM
mittee could not guarantee the re-
patriation of those who have escaped
from territory occupied by Ger
many, children from those areas
must comply with the quota regula-
tions of the immigration law. Brit
ish children under 16 are to be ad-
mitted on temporary or visitors
visas, outside of quota limits.
To further facilitate evacuation,
the Government ban against pay
ment of passage by a foreign govern
ment or charitable corporation has
been removed. Guarantees are re-
quired, however, that the children
must not become public charges in
the United States and that they
must be cared for according to
standards of the Federal Children's
Bureau.
Eric H. Biddle, executive director
of the committee, of which Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt is honorary
president, told the luncheon group
why definite budget cannot be
drawn up at this time There are
too many unknown factors, such as
the amount of medical attention
that might be necessary in the cases
Of children becoming i'll after sailing
from England, he said.
Funds for Adequate Care.
THE main purposes We will need
money for" he asserted, will be not
only to expedite the transportation
Of refugee children, but also to as
sure that they will be adequately
cared for after their arrival and
placement in the United States.
Our funds will be used first for
their travelling expenses from their
port Of debarkation to the place
where they will live. Present plans
do not require us to pay any of the
cost Of their transportation overseas,
but children arriving at a Canadian
port probably will be required to
remain there for few days while
the Canadian authorities complete
their official Recommendation and we
must meet the living expenses in
volved in this delay"
Mr.. Biddle said the British COM
mittee under Geoffrey Shakespeare,
with which the American group is
cooperating, has registered more
than 100000 children whose par
ents desired their evacuation from
England and Scotland. Thirty-two
thousand of these, he added, have
been registered specifically for
evacuation to the United States, and
this total is expected to mount to
$4,000 shortly. Passage has been
arranged for more than 1000 in
the next week or so.
Should Congress pass the Neu-
trality Act amendment to allow
American ships (given conduct
assurances from belligerent pow
ers) to enter combat areas for
evacuation of children refugees,
Mr.. Biddle explained, many more
children could be transported.
Cooperation of Embassy.
Mr.. Biddle stressed that "it is
not our intention to NEEDLE in
Britain's defense nor to subject the
children to the voyage should it
be considered unsafe. We have had
the fullest cooperation of the Brit
ish Embassy in Washington after
we had made it clear that our
plans to receive and care for the
children in this country were based
first on the assumption that they
could be brought here safely, and
second that their evacuation would
not, in the British governments
opinion, impair the morale of the
British people at this critical mo-
ment of the war.
"The British governments attitude
has been completely clarified by
Lord Lothian's statement that they
would be glad to have American
ships take their children to this
country.
"We may have to pay the full cost
of keeping some refugee children in
homes according to the standard of
living we believe an American child
should have. Sufficient funds must
be made available to back up all our
undertakings. There must be as
| slIrances that the children will have