POLITICAL REFUGEES. (Hansard, 7 March 1906)

§ SIR WILFRID LAWSON (Cumberland, Cockermouth)
said he should like to ask the Home Secretary a question in regard to the manner in which a Russian was reported to have been dealt with under the Aliens Act. It was stated in the morning newspapers that a Russian immigrant had not been allowed to land in England, and that the captain of the ship in which he came to this country had been ordered to take him back again. The history of this man was that he was 566 a soldier in the Russian Army, that he had been ordered to fire on the Jews, that he refused and was put under arrest, that he escaped, and that, after undergoing many hardships, he shipped with his little store of money to London, thinking that he might here at least find an asylum. The report of the case stated that when the man was asked, "What will happen when you get back?" he replied, "They will shoot me." It seemed to him a horrible thing that a man coming to this country as a refugee escaping from tyranny should be compelled to return to a country where in all probability he would be shot. He asked the Home Secretary whether there was any truth in this story, and, if there was, whether he would be able to take any steps to save this man from the fate that appeared to await him. He asked further whether if there was any truth, or partial truth, in the story he would take steps to repeal one of the most infamous Acts ever passed.

§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. GLADSTONE,) Leeds, W.
said his attention was called to the case to which his hon. friend referred, and he at once sent for particulars. The particulars which he had received were as follows— The appeal in this case was rejected because the man had no employment in view and no prospect of obtaining any. It was true that the immigrant's notice of appeal stated that he was a political refugee, but he himself made no mention of this fact either to the immigration officer who examined him or to the Immigration Board which heard his appeal. 567 Neither did he mention that he was a deserter nor that he had been arrested for refusing to fire on a Jew. On the contrary, he said that he had come to London at the invitation of a friend. That was all the information he had. It was true, he understood, that the man returned to Bremen in the ship in which he came. If there was any truth in the story as stated by his hon. friend he took it that the Russian Government would have to apply for the man's extradition from Germany. He had made such inquiries as he could. It was one of the misfortunes in connection with the administration of the Aliens Act that cases where aliens were refused admission to the country were happening from day to day, and that he was asked for information regarding them. He did not know how long this condition of things would continue, but he was bound to say that from the point of view of administration it would be almost intolerable for the Secretary of State to be questioned in regard to every individual case. He was taking all the steps he could without any delay to impress on the authorities responsible for dealing with the immigrants what their duties were in these cases. He did not believe it was the intention of Parliament that, in enforcing the Act, cases of individual hardship should be caused under its provisions. He would do all he could to ascertain whether this man was likely to be made the subject of an application for extradition, and he would let his hon. friend know the result of his inquiry as soon as possible.

§ SIR WILFRID LAWSON
asked whether it would not be possible to communicate with the Consulate.

§ MR. LEIF JONES (Westmoreland, Appleby)
said that according to the Home Secretary's statement under the 568 operation of the Act a Russian refugee was safe in Germany unless his extradition was demanded by Russia. He doubted if this was the case. He suggested that the Home Secretary should communicate with the British Consul at Bremen.

§ MR. GLADSTONE
said he would do so. He did not think his hon. friend had followed closely what he had quoted from the Immigration Board's Report. It was not quite clear that this man was a refugee.

§ MR. LEIF JONES
said his point was that if the man was a refugee he had found refuge at Bremen and not in this country.

§ MR. J. R. MACDONALD (Leicester)
asked whether the right hon. Gentleman could tell the House who were the members of the Board who came to this decision. Could he find out why the Board decided that the man was not a political refugee? From the right hon. Gentleman's statement it was not quite clear when, where, and to whom, the allegation that the man was a political refugee was made. One part of the statement seemed to imply that it was made to the Board, while another part seemed to imply that the Board was not aware that he was a political refugee.

§ MR. GLADSTONE
said the man stated in his notice of appeal that he was a political refugee, but he made no mention of that to the immigration officer. The Board put questions to him as to why he left Russia, and he stated that he had a friend in London who induced him to come.