§ MR. HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if his attention has been called to the continuous stream of able-bodied British and Irish emigrants to trans-oceanic lands, where their labour and wages will be adequately protected from foreign competition and depreciation, while the immigration into the United Kingdom of considerable numbers of expatriated pauper foreigners continues unchecked; and if it is the intention of Her Majesty's Government to take any steps in the matter, or to re-constitute the Select Committee of last Session on Emigration and Immigration (Foreigners), with a view to speedy and definite proposals being made on the subject?
§ MR. J. T. BRUNNER (Cheshire, Northwich)May I ask whether the passage in the hon. Member's question which says that "their labour and wages would be adequately protected from foreign competition and depreciation" is not argumentative, and therefore inadmissible as a question?
§ *MR. SPEAKERIt would be better if that portion of the hon. Member's question had been omitted.
§ MR. BRADLAUGH (Northampton)May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether the evidence taken, and reported by the Select Committee last year, did not negative the allegation that any considerable immigration of expatriated foreign paupers took place?
§ *MR. W. H. SMITHIn answer to the last question, I have not been able myself to refer to the evidence given before the Select Committee; but that evidence is still incomplete, and it would be quite out of the question to arrive at a conclusion upon it one way or the other. In answer to my hon. Friend behind me (Mr. Howard Vincent), he will see that there is a Motion down on to-day's Paper for the re-appointment of the Select Committee on Emigration and Immigration of Foreigners.