Few men have the Jewish cause in South Africa more at heart than Morris Alexander, who has been the champion of the Jews in the House of Assembly ever since he became a member twenty-one years ago. Among the most important of the Jewish interests in South Africa is the question of immigration regulation. In an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency correspondent, Mr. Alexander said : “We have here a very strict Immigration Law, under which undesirable are kept out. Under the Law of 1913 it was possible for the Government to keep out any person or class of persons whom the Minister of the Interior regarded as unsuitable. A sub-section was put in definitely to keep out Asiatics, the rest of the section being put in for the purpose of keeping out undesirable European immigrants.
“When the South African Party Government came into power, this Section Four 1 (a) was used to keep out not only Asiatics but European immigrants as well, including Jews. The question each immigrant had to face then was “Does the Minister regard you as suitable?” This was very different from the other sections which made disabilities of crime, illiteracy, etc. We very strongly objected to the bringing in of this clause against European immigrants in a manner not contemplated by Parliament, and when the new Nationalist Government assumed office in 1924, I appealed to them to make a declaration that they were not going to use Section Four 1 (a) for this purpose. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies did yeoman service in rousing public opinion all over the Union on this subject.
“A meeting of the Cabinet resulted in the authorization of such a declaration. Consequently the Jewish and other immigrants have had much fairer treatment under this than under the old Government. What we have been able to secure is that every immigrant shall be treated on his own merits.
“On the whole,” continued Mr. Alexander, “I think our Immigration Law compares very favorably with that of any other Dominion.
“Throughout the Union,” Mr. Alexander went on, “attacks were constantly being made on immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. In reality these attacks were directed against the Jews. There was a cry being raised, ‘Bring Nordics into South Africa.’
“An immigrant is prohibited from landing in South Africa,” Mr. Alexander explained, “if he is unable to read or write a European language.”
The recognition of Yiddish as a European language came into force in the Cape Act of 1906 as a result of the efforts of representatives of various Jewish congregations and institutions of the Cape Province, headed by Mr. (Continued on Page 4)
An immigrant is prohibited from landing if he is likely to become a public charge. He must show that he is coming to a definite occupation, and must have a guarantor who will undertake to be responsible for him for a period of two years.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
