Refugees Employ Many British Workers, Commons Told; Deny Nazi Anti-semitism ‘internal Affair’

Refugees have commenced numerous enterprises employing a considerable number of British workers, Sir Samuel Hoare, Home Secretary, declared in the House of Commons today, defending the Government’s policy of Admitting exiles from Germany. It is possible to admit a number of refugees without aggravating the unemployment situation, Sir Samuel said in reply to W.G. Howard Gritten, Conservative, who had demanded that the Government halt the alien influx.

The Home Secretary also promised not to allow any immigrant to enter the country to replace a man discharged from a German firm here on racial grounds. He declared the Government had no statutory powers to prevent German firms doing business in England from dismissing Jewish employes on racial grounds in accordance with reported instructions effective Dec. 25.

The possibility of admission into England of Jewish refugees expecting to go to the United States until quota numbers for that country have been allotted was raised by Josiah C. Wedgwood, Laborite. “My department has been in consultation with United States authorities on this subject,” Sir Samuel replied. “The usual practice is to admit to this country refugees for whom maintenance will be or is guaranteed if there is a reasonable prospect of their admission to the United States within a year or two. It would be preferable not to admit indiscriminately persons who have registered applications for admission to the United States regardless of the period which must elapse before the applications have been considered by the United States authorities.”

Nazi contentions that Germany’s treatment of her Jews was purely her own affair were challenged as an “extraordinary and entirely untenable point of view” by Foreign Undersecretary Lord Plymouth in a speech last night before the House of Lords.

“The facts are that the pressure exercised on large sections of the German population has inevitably produced an overflow from that country of large numbers of people who managed to get out whether authorized or not,” Lord Plymouth said, “and has placed on neighboring countries and even on far-distant countries a very heavy burden of responsibility. Therefore this question is of very great concern to these countries from both a humanitarian and social aspect. It is clear that they cannot Ignore this question and have got to take it up.”

Declaring a carefully-planned international policy was needed for a solution of the difficulties, Lord Plymouth said the British Government was resolved to do all in its power to contribute to a solution and would welcome with sympathy any suggestions. Earlier, the Duke of Devonshire voiced the conviction that the British Empire would become more secure, stronger and more prosperous if it could increase its own population and help the dominions to increase theirs. He warmly praised the Australian Government for undertaking to admit 15,000 refugees from Germany.