MILITARY SERVICE. RUSSIAN SUBJECTS DEPORTATION). (Hansard, 13 July 1916)

§ Mr. KING

At Question Time, upon the answer of the Home Secretary to Questions 25 and 3, I gave notice that I would raise the matter on the Adjournment, the point at issue between us being whether the Home Secretary was now actually deporting Russian subjects in spite of promises that before they were sent away they would be able to put their case before a tribunal which, is not yet set up. I have had an opportunity of going into this matter with the Home Secretary, and he would have been here to-night only he has a political engagement which made it difficult, and in fact it is almost unnecessary for him to be present. Technically I was wrong in stating that anybody was at pre-sent being deported. As a matter of fact no deportation order has been made by the Home Secretary in any of these cases, but in spite of that, I think I was almost justified in the remarks that I made, because it certainly is the case that a number of Russian subjects are now being sent away, not at their own expense but at the public expense, to Russia under rather curious circumstances. The facts I stated in my question are quite right, and reveal this state of things, that if a Russian subject of military age now applies for leave to go to Russia he is refused permission, and if in answer to the question whether he still desires to go there he says he does, he is told that he must go in such manner, at such time, and in such way as the Government wish. It does happen that the gentleman whom I have brought to 633 the notice of the House was actually under I notice to quit this country to-morrow, not being aware that he had the right to stay here if he likes. That is the position in which a good number of Russians are at present, and in view of sudden visits from the police and being told they must pre-sent themselves at the railway station to-morrow and go to Russia, as has actually happened, I desire it to be made known—as I think the Home Secretary does also—that such cases are only where men feel that they have an urgent desire to go to Russia at once and that if they prefer to stay and await the tribunal which will be set up, with the options that these tribunals will give, they are 634 in no sense bound to be deported or sent away in this way to Russia at the present time. I wish that to be made quite clear, and I have taken the opportunity of doing so. The Home Secretary has met me very fairly over this matter. If I showed any irritation or inclination to challenge him this afternoon I know he will forgive me, and I see no reason why at an early date some solution of a really difficult question cannot be found which will be honourable to this country and satisfactory to all parties concerned.