§ Mr. WEDGWOODasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his attention has been called to the case of Adolf and Samuel Viceman, who were refused to be allowed to land in this country by the Southampton Immigration Board; and what were the grounds of the rejection?
§ Mr. CHURCHILLI have no power to revise this or any other decision of an Immigration Board; but I am informed that the reasons for their decision are to the following effect:—These alien immigrants came from South America, whither, they stated, they had gone from the United Kingdom upwards of six years ago, and where they had recently been working as labourers and found themselves unable to live on their earnings. They stated further that when in England they had worked for some time for a Mr. Cohen, a cabinet maker, in London, and Mr. Cohen, who appeared before the Board, alleged that he had employed these men and had paid them as much as £3 per week for wages, and that they had lived in his house. He was, he said prepared to take 696 them on again now. It was not explained why, if the immigrants had been in receipt of such wages as alleged they left England for South America to seek employment, and several contradictory statements were made. The Board, considering the case put forward unsatisfactory, came to the conclusion that the immigrants did not show, as required by Section 3 (1) (a) of the Aliens Act, that they had in their possession or were in a position to obtain the means of decently supporting themselves in this country, and they confirmed the Immigration Officer's refusal of leave to land.