I understand that the question of the Canadian attitude towards a one year extension of the I.R.O. mandate will be discussed in Cabinet on Thursday, April 7. The General Council of I.R.O. has been meeting in Geneva since Tuesday, March 29, and Mr. D6sy has asked for instructions on this point at the earliest possible moment. My memorandum of March 29, addressed to Mr. Pearson, gives the background on this matter in some detail, but I have listed below a few additional considerations which you may wish to bring forward when the subject is discussed in Cabinet, since an extension of the LR.O. mandate would mean an additional Canadian contribution to the organization of between one and a half and two million dollars.

An extension of the life of I.R.O. is desirable for the following reasons;

1. Though the I.R.O. has, from the beginning, been savagely attacked by the countries of the Soviet bloc, it has efficiently carried out a humanitarian task of great value. In the first eighteen months of operation, up to December 31, 1948, almost half a million refugees had been resettled or repatriated.

2. For political, as well as humanitarian, reasons, it is most important that the large numbers of persons in Europe who are still, through no fault of their own, homeless or stateless, should not be turned adrift to form a dangerous source of continuing unrest and discontent.

3. From the purely Canadian point of view, the I.R.O. has been of considerable help in enabling this country to choose immigrants of good character who will in most cases be valuable citizens.

4. The operations of I.R.O. are in some cases actually of financial benefit to Canada. For example, some Canadian ships are used in transporting the refugees. Moreover, I.R.O. has given an undertaking that in the coming fiscal year (July 1, 1949-June 30, 1950) it would be willing to take the entire Canadian contribution in Canadian wheat. During the current fiscal year up to one million dollars of the total Canadian contribution of $5,425,000 is being taken in Canadian commodities. A. H[EENEYj