HC Deb 18 May 1939 vol 347 cc1646-7W
Mr. Mander

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what reply has been sent to the request of the Jewish Agency that a decision of the Permanent Court of International Justice should be obtained as to the legality of the British Government's decision to restrict immigration into Palestine on grounds other than the economic absorptive capacity of that country?

Mr. M. MacDonald

The reply sent to the Jewish Agency was to the effect that the grounds on which His Majesty's Government consider the present restrictions on Jewish immigration, which are temporary pending the promulgation of policy, to be justified, have been publicly explained on various occasions and that His Majesty's Government have nothing to add to their previous statements; that the arguments recently put forward by the Jewish Agency do not lead His Majesty's Government to alter their views,

Industry. 17th April, 1939. 4th April, 1938.
Number. Per cent. Number. Per cent.
Building 209 15.0 269 17.9
Shipbuilding and Ship-repairing 1,881 3326 1,586 30.9
General Engineering, etc. 117 4.4 88 3.0
Marine Engineering, etc. 400 9.4 367 8.8
Shipping Service 223 19.2 312 27.4
Miscellaneous Food Manufacturing Industries 99 10.0 103 10.5
Distributive Trades. 773 18.1 773 18.2
Dock, Harbour, River, Canal, etc., Service 367 37.8 337 35.5
All other industries and Services 1.623 19.1 1,800 22.3
Total, all industries and Services 5,692 19.1 5,635 19.4
NOTE.—The figures given in the Table above are exclusive of unemployed insured persons within the agricultural scheme numbering 42 at 17th April, 1939, and 46 at 4th April, 1938. The total for April, 1939, also excludes 47 unemployed insured persons in the class of domestic employments which were brought into insurance in April, 1938.