HL Deb 02 August 1916 vol 22 cc1043-7

LORD STRACHIE rose to ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of Russians of military age in this country, and why these men are not serving in their own Army.

The noble Lord said: My Lords, since I put this Question on the Paper Lord Sheffield initiated a debate in your Lordships' House [July 27] on this subject, but from rather a different point of view. As I gathered from the discussion, Lord Sheffield was rather afraid that the Government were going to present to Russian political refugees here the alternative of deportation to their own country or military service in the British Army; and I noticed that in the course of the discussion the noble Marquess, Lord Lansdowne, said that he fully realised how deep and sincere was the feeling to which that matter had given rise, and he promised to inquire into it. I should like at once to say that my feelings on this question of political refugees are the same as those which actuated Lord Sheffield in bringing the subject before your Lordships last Thursday.

But the question standing in my name on the Paper to-day deals, not with Russian refugees who are here for political reasons and whom I should be the last to wish to force to serve in our Army or to go back to Russia to serve in the Russian Army, but with those men—Polish Jews, a large number of them—who are over here for their own benefit. I have been informed by recruiting officers that there is a very strong feeling indeed amongst the working classes that the Government are unduly favouring Polish Jews in the matter of military service, and they cannot see why these men should not be made to fight for their own country, Russia, in the same way that Englishmen have to fight for England. But instead of that, these men remain here in England and escape military service, and in many cases they are capturing the businesses of our own men who have been compelled to join the Colours.

Since I put this Question on the Paper I have sent to my noble friend the Lord Chamberlain an additional question which I wish to ask—namely, whether Polish Jews, who constitute the greater number of Russians in this country, should not be compelled to serve in the British Army, with the same right of appeal as is possessed by British subjects. As I have said, the fact that these men are not serving is causing great dissatisfaction among the working classes. Indeed, I was asked to raise this question by recruiting officers who are brought in contact with the working classes and know the strong feeling which exists among them concerning it.

LORD SANDHURST

My Lords, there are about 25,000 Russian subjects of military age in this country. Of these, no doubt a large number are engaged in munition works, in mining, in the mercantile marine, and so on. As I explained the other day when the question was raised, Russian subjects are allowed to enlist in the ranks of the Allied Armies. Under the Aliens Restriction Order aliens of all nationalities are required to be registered by the Police. Outside the Metropolitan Police district every Frenchman, Italian, Russian, and Serbian has been registered long ago; but in the Metropolitan Police district hitherto only enemy aliens and Belgian refugees have been registered, owing to the enormous amount of work which would have been involved by registering all other aliens. However, it was decided last month to require all male Frenchmen, Italians, Russians, and Serbians over the age of eighteen to register in the Metropolitan Police district, and this registration is nearly completed

. As your Lordships were reminded by the noble Lord opposite, on Thursday last this question was raised by Lord Sheffield, who was followed in the course of a short discussion by my noble and learned friend Lord Loreburn: and while the reply which it was my duty to give them was accurate, I should like, if your Lordships will allow me, to take this opportunity of amplifying it a little, and I am sorry that it should so happen that neither of my noble friends who spoke on the matter on Thursday last is present this evening. The burden of the speech of Lord Sheffield was that we were in danger of doing away with the right of political asylum. That, as I pointed out, is not the case. A scheme for enlisting Russians has been announced in the House of Commons; it is, however, not yet in operation. But I desire once more to say that no deportation or threat of deportation has been made in respect of any individual Russian in regard to this matter. Lord Sheffield dwelt on the case of a man named Sarno. That case has been the subject of a Question in another place, and my right hon. friend made a full reply. I do not think I need further allude to that subject, except to say that the three Judges of the High Court who heard the case were not satisfied that Sarno was a political refugee.

As to the scheme and why it is not vet in operation, there is, I may point out, a large mass of details to consider. A Committee representing the various Departments concerned have been busy in regard to it, and their Report reached the Secretary of State only a day or two ago. Meantime, as I have said, the registration of the men concerned is being completed. Then it will be necessary to establish the special Tribunal to which I referred the other day. This Tribunal will contain upon it persons specially appointed as being sympathetic to the view of these Russians, and its establishment is a most essential feature of the scheme. The procedure proposed to be adopted is that all these men shall be submitted to medical examination. If they are unfit, of course the Tribunal will have nothing to investigate; but if they are fit, and if reasons are advanced for not serving in the Army, the men will be invited to state those reasons before the special Tribunal. They will then be entitled to exemption on the same grounds as those allowed to British subjects by Local Tribunals under the Military Service Acts. Details as to appeals are now being completed. If exempted, the man will return to his occupation; if not exempted, he will be invited to enter the British Army. It has been arranged that after these aliens have served in the British Army for two or three months, subject to fulfilling the statutory requirements as regards naturalisation—the principal one of which is five years' residence—and being of good character, they will be admitted to British citizenship without a fee. If any individual has been denied exemption by the Tribunal and nevertheless refuses to serve in the British Army, claiming to be a political refugee, that claim will be considered before any order for deportation is made.

I repeat that this is not a plan for the deportation of Russian subjects. It is a means for inducing Russian subjects living here to take their share in the great struggle in which their country and ours are at this moment engaged. Speaking for myself, I see no reason why a political refugee should not play his part in this great drama. Indeed, I think on this we are generally agreed. My recollection is that both Lord Sheffield and Lord Loreburn did not dissent from the view that these men should take their part, although I admit upon conditions. My noble friend opposite spoke of a certain amount of bitter feeling existing among the working classes on this subject. Supposing bitter feeling did arise, and supposing there were trouble, let us say, in the East End of London, I can well imagine a good deal of criticism from various parts of your Lordships' House that the Government had not made arrangements, foreseeing such a state of things, to ensure that a number of these men should take their places in the ranks. Whether I am correct in that surmise or not, I cannot say; but on this point I am pretty clear, that there would be a considerable volume of ill-feeling in the East End if, while every Englishman of military age has to serve, a large number of these young Russians were able to walk about and pursue their avocations as if there were no war; and, rightly or wrongly, the suspicion might exist that those who were serving their country were being supplanted in their employments by aliens who were not required to serve. Another point made the other day was that it might be desirable to suggest that these men should go to some neutral country. I do not think that a very practical suggestion, because the people one has in mind would not be welcome in any country, and there is no power to require that they should be permitted to enter. It therefore seems that the only alternative is the one proposed—that if they will not throw in whole-heartedly their lot with this country, they should, in the absence of any good reasons to the contrary, return to their own country.