§ 64. Mr. Rentonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why two Englishmen who went to Bermuda as Jehovah Witness ministers were deported from the Island in the last week of September.
§ 66. Mr. E. Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in what circumstances and for what reason Mr. Eric G. Coysh and Mr. Stephen G. Miller, ministers of the Watchtower and Bible Tract Society, were deported from the Island of Bermuda.
§ 68. Mr. N. Macphersonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what grounds an order was made by the Governor of Bermuda for the deportation from the Colony of S. G. Miller and E. G. Coysh, British subjects and ordained ministers of Jehovah's Witnesses sect from the Colony.
§ 77. Sir G. Jeffreysasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies for what reasons Mr. E. G. Coysh and Mr. S. G. Miller, both ministers of religion, were on 26th September, 1948, deported from the Bermudas after 20 months' residence there; and whether any charge was made against these two British subjects.
§ Sir R. Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that two British citizens have been deported from Bermuda. namely, Mr. Eric Coysh and Mr. Stephen G. Miller after being, 20 months in residence there; what was their transgression against the laws of the Bermudas and under what powers the authorities of that Colony have deported British subjects without giving reasons for so doing to those deported.
§ Mr. Coleasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why two British subjects and Jehovah's Witnesses' ministers, Stephen G. Miller and Eric G. Coysh, were deported from Bermuda without any explanation being given them for this action.
Mr. Creech JonesThese two gentlemen entered Bermuda without obtaining the permission of the Bermuda Immigration Board, as required by the law. They ignored an order from the Board to leave the Islands, and were thereupon charged under the Bermuda Immigration Act with the offence of remaining in the Islands without the Board's specific permission. 81W They were convicted of this offence and were recommended for deportation by the court. An appeal to the Supreme Court against this recommendation was dismissed on 25th September, and the deportation order was therefore made by the Governor-in-Council under Section 4 of the Bermuda Deportation (British Subjects) Act, 1937. The deportation of these two gentlemen was an act within the statutory powers of the Governor in Executive Council who have a complete discretion in the matter, and whose actions do not require my approval, nor are they subject to my control.