Evening star., 1940-08-08
House Unit Approves
Bill for Admission
Of Refugee Children
Action Follows Passage
Of Measure to Permit
Use Of u. S. Ships
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The House immigration Committee
speedily approved today q subcom.
mittee compromise bill to provide q
temporary haven in the United
States for an estimated 200 900 Eu.
ropean refugee children under II
years of age.
p The bill, introduced late yesterday
would be effective for two years
after enactment unless the President
prescribed q shorter period.
This action follows House approval
yesterday Of a bill to let American
ships bring refugee children from
warning nations-a measure on
which the Senate is yet to act.
Committee members, declining tt
disclose the vote on the bill ap-
proved today, said 1t was "prac'
tically unanimous"
A compilation of several othel
bills and rewritten 30 as to apply tt
children Of all European nationali'
ties-especially those whose home
lands have been invaded-the meas.
ure provides that the children
would be issued visas as temporary
visitors. S..
Time Could Be Extended.
They would be admitted for 1
two-year period, bat the Attorney
General would have power to short.
en- or extend this time. Children
who had ned from their homelanc
to another country could come to thu
United States even though their ma.
tive land no longer exists.
Explaining this, Committee Chair.
man. Dickstein said that Legislation
previously proposed would prohibi;
such refugees-for example, Polish
children who had escaped to Eng.
land-from entering this country or
visitors visas.
Under the committee measure, Ger.
tain assurances would have to be
given in connection with the admis-
sion Of each child. The United
States consul before whom q child
appeared for visa would have to be
satisfied that child was seeking to
enter the United States to be safe
from the dangers or the effects OF
war"
The Attorney General would also
have to have assurances that every
child would be properly cared fol-
and not become q public charge.
May Be Sent Alone.
To facilitate entry Of the refugees
the bill says that none of them need
be accompanied by parents, or even
one parent. 1t is permissible for
their passage to be paid by persons
outside their families, by corpora
tions, societies, municipalities or for
eign governments.
The measure, to let American ships
bring refugee children to this coun.
try, approved yesterday without q
roll call, would authorize transporta.
ton of youngsters under Is on un-
armed, unconvoyed American ships
provided safe conduct was assured
by belligerent nations.
The Neutrality Act now prevents
American vessels from entering COM
bat areas.
To prevent possibilities Of mis-
taken identity, the vessels would
carry painted American flags on
their sides and superstructures along
with statements that they are ref
ugee-child rescue ships.
Amendments Draw Fire.
Although sponsors argued that
the bill contained all necessary safe
guards, the House at the last minute
wrote in two amendments which
drew the fire OF foreign affairs COM
mitteemen.
One, by Representative schafer
Republican, Of Wisconsin, would re-
quire that any adult who accom-
panied the children must be an
American citizen. The other, by
Representative Taber, Republican
Of New York, would require families
which accepted the refugees to take
the same responsibility for them a.
they would for their own children.
Representative Johns, Republican
OF Wisconsin unsuccessfully tried te
limit the number Of refugee children
to 5000. The House adopted an
amendment by Representative Jen-
kins, Republican, Of Ohio which
would make the admissions subject
to the usual immigration quotas and
laws.