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( T H I S D O C U M E N T IS T H E P R O P E R T Y O F H E R B R I T A N N I C M A . J E S T Y ' 3
GOVERNMENT) SECRET
,
f
/
C.(54) 356
COPY NO.
6^
2 3 r d N o v e m b e r , 1954
CABINET
COLONIAL, I M M I G R A N T S
M e m o r a n d u m b y t h e S e c r e t a r y of S t a t e f o r
Commonwealth Relations
My colleagues will expect me to advise what a r e likely to be the
r e a c t i o n s of C o m m o n w e a l t h c o u n t r i e s t o t h e H o m e S e c r e t a r y ' s p r o p o s a l i n
C . ( 5 4 ) 354o
I think it will be c o n v e n i e n t for t h e m to have m y i m p r e s s i o n s
in this s h o r t p a p e r .
I can say*at once t h a t I a g r e e with his p r o p o s a l for
t h e a p p o i n t m e n t of a D e p a r t m e n t a l C o m m i t t e e t o s t u d y t h i s q u e s t i o n .
2.
I s h o u l d h a v e p r e f e r r e d t h a t t h e t e r m s of r e f e r e n c e of t h i s
C o m m i t t e e s h o u l d b e c o n f i n e d t o t h e q u e s t i o n of a d m i s s i o n a n d t h a t w e
should announce that we a r e p r e p a r e d to legislate to take p o w e r s to d e p o r t
C o m m o n w e a l t h c i t i z e n s n o t b e l o n g i n g t o t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m if t h e y a r e
f o u n d t o b e u n d e s i r a b l e m e m b e r s of t h e c o m m u n i t y , w h e t h e r b y r e a s o n of
c o n v i c t i o n f o r c r i m i n a l o f f e n c e s o r o t h e r w i s e , o r if t h e y a r e p e r s i s t e n t l y
dependent upon National A s s i s t a n c e .
I a m s u r e that we ought to have
t h e s e p o w e r s , a n d I think a l l the M i n i s t e r s who h a v e c o n s i d e r e d t h i s
q u e s t i o n w e r e p r e p a r e d t o r e c o m m e n d l e g i s l a t i o n for t h i s p u r p o s e .
Nor
do I think we should u n d e r r a t e the d e t e r r e n t effect which the a n n o u n c e m e n t
a n d e a r l y p a s s a g e of s u c h l e g i s l a t i o n w o u l d h a v e o n i m m i g r a n t s of t h e
kind which i s t r o u b l i n g u s ; and t h e r e is s o m e r i s k that the b a r e a n n o u n c e ­
m e n t of t h e a p p o i n t m e n t of a C o m m i t t e e m a y l e a d t o f o r e s t a l l i n g .
3.
I do not c o n s i d e r that we should have difficulty with C o m m o n w e a l t h
Governments about such a proposal.
A l l of t h e m e x c e p t I n d i a a n d P a k i s t a n
have p o w e r s to d e p o r t Bi-itish subjects w h i c h , f r o m t i m e to t i m e , they u s e
against United Kingdom citizens.
If, h o w e v e r , t h e r e i s n o p r o s p e c t of
getting the n e c e s s a r y legislation into the p r o g r a m m e for the c o m i n g s e s s i o n ,
I a g r e e this should be r e f e r r e d to the D e p a r t m e n t a l C o m m i t t e e .
4.
If w e a r e t o g e t w i s e a n d p r a c t i c a l r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s f r o m t h e
C o m m i t t e e , and a v o i d t r o u b l e w h e n we c o m e t o t a k e a c t i o n , t h e C o m m i t t e e
m u s t h a v e a l l t h e p r o b l e m s fully s e t b e f o r e t h e m ; a n d I t h i n k t h e y w i l l
find t h a t t h e e n q u i r y w i l l t a k e l o n g e r t h a n s o m e e x p e c t s
If t h e C o m m i t t e e
i s t o i n c l u d e s o m e o n e w i t h s p e c i a l k n o w l e d g e of t h e p u r e l y C o l o n i a l s i d e
of t h e p r o b l e m , t h e n I m u s t a s k f o r t h e i n c l u s i o n of s o m e o n e w i t h a
s i m i l a r k n o w l e d g e of t h o s e a s p e c t s w h i c h c o n c e r n t h e s e l f - g o v e r n i n g
Commonwealth, countries.
T h e e f f e c t o f a n y r e s t r i c t i o n s on e n t r y u p o n
c i t i z e n s of t h e s e c o u n t r i e s i s a n i n t e g r a l p a r t of t h i s p r o b l e m .
Any
action which m a y w e a k e n the ties which help to bind the C o m m o n w e a l t h
t o g e t h e r i s a m a t t e r of d i r e c t i n t e r e s t t o t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m , a n d i t i s
i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h i s s i d e of t h e q u e s t i o n s h o u l d b e g i v e n f u l l w e i g h t .
2Cf 5.
I a p p r e c i a t e t h e f o r c e of t h e c o n t e n t i o n t h a t , if w e a r e t o l e g i s l a t e
f o r r e s t r i c t i o n s o n t h e e n t r y of B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s i n t o t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m
and their employment h e r e , the legislation should be non^discriminatory
in f o r m .
T h i s will not, h o w e v e r , conceal the fact that the p r o b l e m with
w h i c h w e a r e i n f a c t c o n c e r n e d i s t h a t of c o l o t i r e d i m m i g r a n t s f r o m
Colonial t e r r i t o r i e s .
In f a c t we s h a l l w e l c o m e t h e c o m p a r a t i v e l y f e w
good y o u n g C a n a d i a n s or N e w Z e a l a n d e r s w h o w i s h to w o r k h e r e , w h i l e
r e s t r i c t i n g a n e x c e s s i v e n u m b e r of W e s t I n d i a n s o r W e s t A f r i c a n s .
Other
Commonwealth countries have this problem.
And the fact that in some
i n s t a n c e s t h e i r l e g i s l a t i o n is n o n - d i s c r i m i n a t o r y in f o r m while t h e i r
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n is d i s c r i m i n a t o r y in p r a c t i c e h a s b e e n s t r o n g l y objected to
by India
B u t w e t o o s h a l l h a v e t o d i s c r i m i n a t e i n p r a . c t i c e if w e a r e
" t o o p e r a t e w i t h t h e m i n i m u m of i n c o n v e n i e n c e t o C o m m o n w e a l t h c i t i z e n s " .
0
6.
T h e old C o m m o n w e a l t h c o u n t r i e s h a v e p o w e r s t o c o n t r o l the
a d m i s s i o n of B r i t i s h s u b j e c t s .
They therefore could not r e a s o n a b l y object
if w e d o t h e s a m e .
B u t I s h o u l d e x p e c t t h e m t o l o o k a t t h e s u b s t a n c e of
what we p r o p o s e r a t h e r t h a n the f o r m .
U n l e s s we a r e in a p o s i t i o n to
give t h e public in C o m m o n w e a l t h c o u n t r i e s s o m e a s s u r a n c e a s to how
r e s t r i c t i o n on e n t r y w i l l w o r k in p r a c t i c e , we m u s t e x p e c t to be c r i t i c i s e d
by the public and P r e s s in these c o u n t r i e s .
I fear this m a y deter
C o m m o n w e a l t h citizens who c o m e h e r e in l a r g e n u m b e r s not only a s s h o r t ­
t e r m v i s i t o r s b u t in o r d e r t o s t u d y o r to t a k e e m p l o y m e n t o r t o t r y t h e i r
luck.
7.
T h e H o m e S e c r e t a r y s u g g e s t s t h a t it w i l l b e n e i t h e r n e c e s s a r y n o r
d e s i r a b l e t o e x t e n d t h e c o n t r o l to c i t i z e n s of the I r i s h R e p u b l i c .
I fully
a p p r e c i a t e t h a t for p r a c t i c a l r e a s o n s it would be difficult to c o n t r o l t r a f f i c
between the Irish Republic and G r e a t Britain.
But I f e a r we s h a l l be
c r i t i c i s e d i n C o m m o n w e a l t h c o u n t r i e s if w e g i v e t o c i t i z e n s of t h e I r i s h
R e p u b l i c , which has left the C o m m o n w e a l t h , m o r e favoured t r e a t m e n t
than we give to the C o m m o n w e a l t h c o u n t r i e s t h e m s e l v e s .
8.
It w i l l , a s t h e H o m e S e c r e t a r y s a y s , b e n e c e s s a r y b e f o r e a n y
a n n o u n c e m e n t i s m a d e to g i v e C o m m o n w e a l t h G o v e r n m e n t s i t s t e x t a n d
to e x p l a i n t o t h e m w h a t is in o u r m i n d s .
SWINTON
C o m m o n w e a l t h R e l a t i o n s Office, S. W . l .
22nd N o v e m b e r , 1954.