Oceania

Refugees For Fr.

Arguments Against the Plan

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, Mar 26.

IT is reported that a proposal has been advanced to settle a colony of Spanish refugees, and a colony of Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria, on islands in French Oceania.

General opinion here is that the prob lem of their welfare would be difficult, even if suitable sites could be discovered for their settlement. Tropical husbandry is vastly different from agriculture in the temperate zones.

To place colonies of people unlearned and inexperienced in agriculture in torrid lands, would be to invite disaster, unless a large sum were available to carry them along until they could gain experience and bring to bearing crops suitable for their sustenance.

The experience of the colony brought from Czecho-Slovakia, some years ago, and their attempted settlement in the Papenoo Valley on Tahiti, is a concrete example of the difficulty.

Representations have been made to the authorities in France urging that the pro ject be abandoned.