Nationalist leader Malan, declaring South Africa has a larger Jewish percentage than any country except Poland and Palestine, is grooming a bill for introduction into Parliament to further restrict immigration.
He told a South African Nationalist Party meeting at Bloemfontein recently that the increase in Jewish immigration in past months has faced the Government with one of its greatest problems and declared the whole country would back measures to halt the Jewish influx.
Declaring there were proportionately seven times as many Jews in South Africa as in Germany, Dr. Malan charged that recent talks between Polish Foreign Minister Beck and British Foreign Secretary Eden proved existence of “a movement to flood South Africa with Jews.”
His proposed law would permit entry only of immigrants who could be assimilated, require strict examination of naturalizations, bar recognition of Yiddish as a European language, prohibit property-holding by non-citizens except by special Government permission and authorize the Government to forbid immigrants from engaging in certain occupations or from changing their names.
The party barred Jews as members and demanded that the Government adopt as soon as possible a bill along the lines laid down by Dr. Malan.
Dr. Malan’s contention that the country would support restrictive measures was not borne out by press reaction to his proposals. The Johannesburg Star, for instance, declared:
“Dr. Malan’s campaign against Jewish immigration is a piece of unblushing opportunism, but for the reason that it is highly insidious as a political move it demands serious attention. This is necessary even though Dr. Malan is logically in a hopeless position. Immigration is controlled by Acts for which he himself was responsible both as regards drafting and supervision through Parliament, so that if the law is as defective as he now argues the blame rests upon him and no one else. On the other hand, no very special credit need be accorded him in regard to the Quota Act.”
The Star went on to declare that the attempt to legislate against any particular religion had never been made either in American or in any of the dominions and any measures of that kind would not only be repugnant to enlightened sentiment, but would present certain difficulties in practical application.
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