§ 44. Colonel Wedgwoodasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that the allocation for ordinary legal immigrants into Palestine in five months, namely, 3,645, is at the rate of 8,748 a year, or 10,000 a year less 1,252 deducted for illegal immigrants, he will state why only 1,252 was deducted seeing that some 15,000 have been landed illegally in the last six months, namely, by the official Zionist organisation 4,500, by the Re visionist organisation 7,000, and by in dependent chartered ships 3,500?
Mr. M. MacDonaldAs was foreshadowed in the recent White Paper, the deduction of illegal immigrants from the current immigration quota was based on 2232 the ascertained number who had succeeded in entering Palestine between 1st April last, and the date on which the quota was issued. The figure was calculated on this basis. I would add that the information at my disposal points to considerably lower figures of illegal immigrants during the last six months than those given in the question.
§ Colonel WedgwoodCan the right hon. Gentleman say what the lower figures are?
Mr. MacDonaldNot with any accuracy, because a considerable number of the illegal immigrants have got in without being detected by the authorities; but all our information goes to show that the figure is considerably lower than the very high figure given by the right hon. and gallant Gentleman.
§ Mr. StephenWill the Minister assure us that he will not take the same steps against the Jews as the right hon. and gallant Gentleman wants to take against the Irish?