Documentary proof to support the charge of anti-Jewish discrimination in the Canadian immigration miss ions, which has been voiced informally ?or several months, is contained in two letters released today by the International refugee Organization.
The letters, which were distributed by IRO headquarters in Heidelberg, instruct immigration officers not to accept Jewish refugees for various projects. One letter, ?arked No.7, and dated Dec. 1,1947, covers railway maintenance men. It says that because Jewish people in Canada do not normally engage in this type of work, it is recommended by this (Canadian) mission that Jewish persons not be presented (by IRO ##ides.) However, the mission will interview a very (which is underlined) limited number of applicants if sufficient evidence can be shown that the individual applicant intends and. is likely to remain in this type of employment in Canada.”The railway project called for 720 men for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and for the R.F. Welch Construction Company. The wages offered were between 50 and 60 cents an hour, with $1.20 to be deducted daily for board and lodging.
Letter No. 8 also dated Dec. 1, 1947, concerns a hard rock minors project. It advises that in general the employing companies are unable to place Jewish applicants in this type of work. The project involves 1,100 men. The letter stated that previous experience was not necessary. Payment was between 58 and 75 cents per hour with $1.75 deducted daily for living costs.
Both letters were signed Robert J. Corkery, chief of the Department of Refugee Re-establishment of the IRO, but Corkery was merely passing on Canadian instructions, which is required by the IRO agreement with affiliated nations. The two documents have brought into the open previous charges of anti-Semitism made against the Canadians. It is known that restrictions on Jewish applicants also apply to lumbering and domestic projects.
Another project which openly discriminates against Jews is the recruitment of domestic servants for Britain. It has been specified that “no Jewish people are accepted regardless of the circumstances and the applicant’s experience.”
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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.
