The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-11-09
GoDdressiona
f$E0ideEqhts
nR NO.
congressman VIM .CoImer
Foreign Relief

and sent to the Senate an APP
preparation bill for $3.50, 600, 900,
as our portion of contribution to
the United Nations Relief and
Rehabilitation Administration. 1t
will be recalled that at the last
session of Congress a bill was
passed approving this set-up.
Forty-four nations entered into
the UNRRA agreement whereby
each of the A nations was to put
up one percent of its 1910 nat
ional income for the relief of the
starving peoples of Europe. This
appropriation was in furtherance
Of that program. While some
amendments were adopted, there
were very few votes against the
bill. Notable among these amend
ments was one providing that
none of these countries could par
ticipate in the future for relief
unless free access to the particu-
lar countries was granted to our
technicians and newspaper re-
pdrters. This amendment was
aimed at Russia. 1t will be re-
called that when our Committee
on Postwar Economic Policy re-
turned a few weeks ago from Eu-
rope and recommended, among
other things, that no loans should
be granted to Russia and its sat
elite countries unless Russia
agreed to such a policy. That
recommendation has received ia
vorable reaction in the Congress
and the country. This amend
ment to the relief bill therefore
incorporated our recommended
tons for loans in the relief pro-
gram. This may or may not be a
wise procedure. Certainly, how
ever, there is a difference between
granting loans and relief. There
is a danger in this amendment
to the relief bill that the coun-
tries like Yugoslavia, which are
completely under the domination
of Russia. will be cut off from
any relief if the amendment re-
mains in the bill. This, of course,
would mean that the hungry peo-
pie of these countries would be
allowed to starve through nc
fault of their own but only be-
canse they are helplessly under
the domination of their power
full neighbor. Russia.
Transportation = The Drawback
It must be apparent to every
one, including the peoples of Eu-
rope, that America cannot go on
indefinitely donating large sums
of money and making large loans
to them. And yet the misery in
these devastated countries is SO
genuine and monumental in its
scope that they must either get
help from abroad or many mil
lions of them will starve to death
this winter. This is particularly
true in Germany, parts of France,
Holland, and other countries over
which the battles of Europe were
fought. The most crying need
there now is transportation. Even
where adequate supplies of food
are available in farming areas,
the lack of transportation left
cities on an inadequate ration and
prevented the proper distribution
of food and the other essentials
of life. In the opinion of most
of the experts with whom we
talked while over there, the pro-
duction of coal and the rehabili-
tation of the transportation sys-
TEN are of first Importance.
While the highways and rail-
were largely left intact,
practically every bridge and rail
way crossing in all zones of mill
tary operations were destroyed.
This also resulted in the blocking
Of the waterways. This was true
not only in the case of such main
waterways as the Rhine, the
Rhone, the Seine and others but
also applies to the vital canals and
waterways. Therefore. before
Ihese countries can attain any
hing like a self-sustaining basis
.hese methods of transportation
must first be rehabilitated.
The plight of Europe is indeed
4 serious one. Hunger. starvation