82 Captain A. EVANSasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he is aware that in Cardiff the registration certificate books 41 that have been issued in the past to coloured British seamen have borne the words Adenese or Arab seaman; for what reason these words have now become disused; and whether, as at present there is nothing to indicate on the registration card that the man is ether than an alien, he will introduce some change in the procedure in order to meet the wishes of coloured British subjects of India, Aden, Somaliland, Malaya, and Malta;
(2) if he is aware that in some instances passports of British coloured seamen have been presented to the aliens registration officials at Cardiff, and that they have not been accepted; that the seamen have been compelled to register as aliens; and, in view of this, will he say whether the production of a seaman's certificate and discharge book can be accepted as proof of nationality of the seaman, in view of the fact that in this book the date and place of his birth is always entered, and inasmuch as such a book only applies to those seamen sailing in British ships and is issued by the Board of Trade;
(3) if he is aware that British coloured seamen have to be registered under the Aliens Order, 1920, in consequence of their being unable to prove that they are British subjects; and will he say what proof of their British nationality is required, having regard to the fact that there is no registration of births in Aden, Somaliland, Malaya, or Malta, and that it is consequently difficult to get documentary evidence?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir William Joynson-Hicks)As the reply is necessarily rather long, I propose to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the answer:
§ I am aware that in some cases coloured seamen who have been called upon to register have claimed to be British subjects. I do not think that a seaman holding a valid British passport has ever been so called upon, but I understand that where such a passport has been out of date or otherwise invalid the holder has been advised to register in the absence of satisfactory proof of his identity and nationality. On the production of such proof his registration would of course be cancelled, but I regret that a seaman's discharge book cannot be accepted for this purpose, since 42 the entries as to date and place of birth are based merely on the statements of the person to whom it was issued. The existence or otherwise of proof of a coloured seaman's birth in Somaliland or the Malay States is immaterial for the purpose of his registration, since it would not in any case entitle him to recognition as a British subject, but as a British protected person only. As regards persons claiming birth in Aden or British India, arrangements have been made in consultation with the India Office to assist them in obtaining the necessary proof; while in the case of Maltese I understand that seamen's certificates of nationality are issued by the Collector of Customs at Malta. I should perhaps add that Maltese are not regarded as persons of colour under the Order. The question of placing some distinctive mark on the registration certificates issued to coloured seamen under the Special Order applying to them has been duly considered, and it was decided that the word "seaman" should appear in red ink on the cover and on the inside. No other words seem generally appropriate, and I think this sufficiently distinguishes them from the certificates issued under the ordinary provisions of the Aliens Order.