U.N.R.R.A. at Work
Rapid progress has been made by the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in settling principles governing future procedure. In the first place it is made dear that the Administra- tion is to concentrate its energies on supplying the immediate needs of countries afflicted by the war and not concern itself with the long-range projects—which obviously will require further considera- tion from experts of the United Nations. The finance of the under- taking is to be the joint responsibility of all countries whose home territory has not been invaded, and is estimated on a colossal scale, since each of them will be asked to contribute about one per cent of their national income for the year 1937-38. There must be some exceptions ; for example India, which has its own famine conditions, and is not qualified for help from U.N.R.R.A.—a fact to which Lord Catto calls attention in The Times, urging Britain's prior responsibility to the famine-stricken population of India. It has also been decided that invaded countries should contribute to their own relief " when they possess funds." Some idea of the vast- ness of the undertaking is given in a report just issued by the Inter- Allied Committee on Post-War Requirements, which estimates Europe's minimum needs in foodstuffs and prime necessities at over 45 million tons, not including Soviet Rtissia. Europe contains today 115,000,000 people displaced from their homes.
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