§ 39. Mr. ROBERT YOUNGasked the Home Secretary if he is aware that Miss Dora Kostich, who has been informed by the immigration officer that unless she is married within four weeks she will be deported, belongs to a good Serbian family and has a sister studying medicine at Belgrade university; that she is not impecunious but is employed in a good situation, receiving good wages, and resides with respectable people; and that she did not come to this country to be married but to secure for herself better economic conditions of life in this country; and whether, seeing that she is not an enemy alien, the threat of deportation will be removed and the girl allowed to remain in this country without the necessity of marrying to secure that privilege?
§ Mr. SHORTTThere has been no threat of deportation in this case. Miss Kostich stated on her arrival in this country that her object in coming here was to marry an English soldier, whose name and rank she gave, and that she was proceeding to his mother's address. She was given leave to land on condition that within one month she produced to the proper authorities evidence that the marriage had taken place. When the month expired 229 without the production of that evidence, the lady's right to remain in this country ceased, but on evidence that she had obtained work here, and was maintaining herself in respectable surroundings, it was decided not to enforce her obligation to leave the country. While there is no question of Miss Kostich's good faith, it is clearly necessary to take precautions to prevent foreign women from gaining admission to this country on the pretence of marrying soldiers.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs it the policy to subject Allies and friendly Allied women to this sort of treatment? What right have we to keep out Serbians or any other Allied women from this country if they are respectable?
§ Mr. SHORTTWe have the right to control our own immigration.
Mr. JONESWhy not control the Shah of Persia with his retinue of wives, when he came over? [After a pause.] Cannot I have an answer? There were twenty ladies accompanying the Shah, and we all know what they were doing here!