§ 32. Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for India if he will state how many enemy aliens in India have been interned; how many are still at large; whether German missionaries, teachers, and bandmasters are included amongst those interned; and, if not, for what reason they are exempted?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA (Mr. Chamberlain)I am unable to give figures as to the total number of enemy aliens interned or still at large in India; but as regards enemy alien missionaries, consisting for the most part of Germans, the figures at the beginning of last April were:—
1166 Those allowed to remain at their posts on parole were only so allowed on condition that they continued of good behaviour.
Interned under military control at Ahmednagar 115 Compulsorily residing in a specified place under civil control 70 At liberty, but on parole and subject to general civil supervision 442
§ Sir J. D. REESWhat is the nature of the supervision exercised over German missionaries, seeing that they have great influence in large areas, in which each missionary is perhaps the only resident European?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINIt is all the supervision which the Government of India consider to be required in the circumstances of the case.
§ Mr. JOYNSON-HICKSWhy did they release on parole the German missionaries in India; surely they are impregnated with German ideas?
§ Mr. CHAMBERLAINI am quite ready, in this matter, to trust in the discretion of the Government of India, who have acted, as I said in a previous answer to another question by my hon. Friend the Member for Yarmouth the other day, with great vigour in regard to it. The dealing with aliens in India is stricter, I think, than in this country.
§ Sir J. D. REESWas not the Government of India satisfied that German influence had nothing to do with the apparently eccentric voyage of the "Komagota Maru," and is that now seriously maintained?