HC Deb 19 July 1939 vol 350 cc425-6W
Colonel Wedgwood

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state the grounds upon which 70 certificates to enter Palestine are granted to rabbis, 1,020 to capitalists, and only 600 to working men; and whether the dependants include parents, fiances, brothers and sisters as well as children?

Mr. M. MacDonald

The High Commissioner is satisfied that economic absorptive capacity does not permit the allocation of more than 600 labour certificates, 400 for skilled ordinary immigrants, and 200 for refugees. Jewish unemployment is steadily growing and a large proportion of the unemployed have been under-employed for two years. The number of certificates for rabbis under the current quota is 35 and not 70; all of them are refugees.

Besides wives and minor children, the category of dependants includes parents, some elderly brothers and sisters, and fiances.

Colonel Wedgwood

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state the number of Jewish villages from which rifles were withdrawn; whether the withdrawal met with any resistance; whether the rifles have now been restored in all cases; whether the action taken was by way of a test of the practicability of disarming the Jews; and why no such action was taken at the German village of Sarona?

Mr. M. MacDonald

At the end of April last it was decided, on the suggestion of the Jewish Agency, to revise the establishment of rifles issued to Jewish settlements in order that arms might be redistributed to new settlements. 213 rifles were withdrawn from 124 settlements. These rifles were released voluntarily and there was no resistance. 150 of the rifles in question have been re- leased to five new settlements recently established with the Government's consent, and the remaining 63, which are stored at police headquarters, are available for issue to future new settlements. The withdrawals were not in any way a test of the practicability of disarming Jews. There were no Government rifles in the German village of Sarona.

Mr. T. Williams

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Permanent Mandates Commission agreed to the limitation of immigration into Palestine on the basis laid down in the White Paper; and, if not, on what grounds has immigration been stopped for the next six months?

Mr. M. MacDonald

Pending the publication of the report of the Permanent Mandates Commission I am not in a position to make any statement regarding the views of its members. As regards the second part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Royton (Mr. Sutcliffe) on 12th July.

Forward to