§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether it is the fact that, notwithstanding Article 44 of the Treaty of Berlin, which provides that equal civil and political rights should be enjoyed by all persons in Roumania irrespectively of creed, the Jews in that Country, who have been reduced to destitution by the edict against hawking issued by the Roumanian Government, are debarred from the privilege accorded to all other Roumanians of obtaining passports for the purpose of earning their living elsewhere, and are only granted documents enabling them to leave the Country on the condition that they shall not re-enter it, such condition imposing upon them the alternative of banishment or starvation; and, whether Her Majesty's Government will, under these circumstances, as one of the Signatory Powers of the Treaty of Berlin, protest against all violation of its provisions?
§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICEHer Majesty's Legation at Bucharest, notwithstanding diligent inquiries, have been unable to obtain any confirmation of the allegation as to passports made in the hon. Member's Question. There may have been cases of individual hardship, due to the formalities unfortunately existing in Roumania which are insisted upon to prevent the sale of passports and the introduction by that means of destitute Jewish families from neighbouring countries. It does not appear that any complaints to the Roumanian Government have been made by the Jewish community on this subject.
§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSWill the noble Lord state whether he has ascertained as a fact that passports are granted to Jews in Roumania as in other cases?
§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICEThat is what I understand, except that 272 they are subject to certain formalities, which are taken where it is supposed that an emigrant is likely to attempt to sell his passport to somebody else with a view of bringing in a strange Jewish family from over the border. There appears to be some kind of understanding on the part of the Roumanian Government, and I think also on the part of the Russian Government, to prevent the sale of these passports with the view of preventing the bringing in an overpopulation into the country.
§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSCan the noble Lord state whether it is a fact that any Jew applying for a passport in Roumania is informed when receiving it that it prevents his return to the country?
§ LORD EDMOND FITZMAURICEI believe it is so in some cases, and the effect of these formalities is no doubt the cause of the inconvenience referred to. The answer of the Roumanian Government is that they are necessary as a matter of internal arrangement.
§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSIn consequence of the answers of the noble Lord, I beg to give Notice that I will take the earliest opportunity of calling the attention of the House to this subject.