IMMIGRANT REMOVALS
(National Archives of Scotland: HH1/568) Letter, 4/10/1933
Transcript
Home Office
Whitehall
S.W.1.
R.N. Duke, Esq., D. S. O., M. C.
4 th October, 1933
Dear Duke
I am sorry there has been some delay in replying to your letter of the 17 th
August last (32693/35) on the subject of Irish immigration into Scotland. The
Secretary of State is, of course, much interested in this question and in due course should be consulted, but I gather that you are not yet ready to do this and are asking only for departmental co mments.
The statistics show that in recent years 1,200 to 1,300 persons have come to
Scotland from the Free State. Would a prohibition limited to those who are insane or have criminal records keep out 1% of them? It appears that to keep out a negligible number of lunatics and criminals it would be necessary to set up traffic control over British subjects coming (a) to British ports, (b) over the land boundary in Northern Ireland. In this connection I would draw your attention to the letter addressed to the Prime Minister on the 13 th August,
1931, a copy of which was sent to your department on the 20 th August, 1931
(432,707/81). The deportation proposal would no doubt have more effect.
Perhaps it would be desirable to give an estimate of the measure of this effect. There are now in Scotland only 5,512 immigrants from the Free State with less than five years’ residence. How many of these would be eligible for deportation if the proposal was put into practice?
Another point which occurs to us is that there ar e many British subjects, such as negroes, Chinese, Indians, Cypriots, etc., all of whom are more difficult to assimilate than natives of the Free State. So far, however, the Home Office has not felt it necessary to propose a reversal of the traditional pol icy of the
‘open door’ to British subjects; and it seems difficult to base so large a change of policy on the advantages of eliminating a fraction of the Irish population from Scotland.
Do you consider that proposals limited to the repatriation of paupers to ‘their place of settlement’ would help at all? In principle, such a scheme seems right, but the question whether the advantages to Scotland outweigh the difficulties of forcing such a scheme on the Free State is a matter for discussion between your department and the Dominions office.
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IMMIGRANT REMOVALS
I know that Sir John Gilmour would like to help in the matter if it is possible.
Perhaps you would like to confer with us when you have considered the unofficial observations contained in this letter.
Yours sincerely
C. G. Markbreiter
2 MIGRATION AND EMPIRE (H, HISTORY)
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IMMIGRANT REMOVALS
8
9
1910
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
9
1900
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
(HH1/568) Removal figures table, 1894–1932
Transcript
REMOVAL
Number of Irish-born poor persons removed from Scotland to Ireland
(Northern Ireland only from 1923) voluntarily or by Sheriff’s Warrant between 1894 and 1932 .
Year Paupers Depts. Total Year Paupers Depts. Total
1894
5
276
156
46
26
322
182
1920
21
0
27
5
5
45
32
6
7
8
168
183
127
41
48
9
209
231
136
22
23
24
32
7
35
7
-
9
39
7
44
41
42
58
71
107
146
111
110
78
11
22
5
27
20
43
52
23
14
52
64
63
98
127
25
26
27
28
29
189 1930
163
133
92
31
32
10
24
28
20
40
46
16
33
-
9
7
9
5
9
14
12
45
55
30
45
10
33
35
29
80
157
120
110
116
114
103
61
59
59
42
24
24
32
25
37
8
14
10
4
17
2
3
1
104
189
145
147
124
128
113
65
76
61
45
25
MIGRATION AND EMPIRE (H, HISTORY) 3
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IMMIGRANT REMOVALS
Read the letter and look at the table of statistics.
1.
Write a detailed summary with regard to the numbers of Irish immigrant
‘paupers’ who were removed from Scotland in the early 1900s.
2.
What is the attitude of C.G. Markbreiter to immigration at this time?
Give evidence to support your answer.
3.
How useful is this source when considering the government’s views on immigration at the time?
Origin, purpose, content, recall.
(Remember to use your source skills sheet to help you.)
4 MIGRATION AND EMPIRE (H, HISTORY)
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