REFUGEE IMMIGRANTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 88, 31 January 1947, Page 7

REFUGEE IMMIGRANTS

JEWS FOR AUSTRALIA ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN The largest number of refugee Jews from Central Europe since before the war arrived in Sydney recently by the French steamer Ville dAmiens. The ship brought 187 of them and all but one had permits to enter Australia. The immigrants include doctors, dentists, clerks, traders and lawyers. Some of them are elderly. There are ony six children among them. They all had to give a guarantee that they had positions to go to and had somewhere to live before they were allowed ashore. All of them were sponsored by relatives in Australia. They came chiefly from Poland and Czechoslavakia. A few have been in German concentration camps and still have their camp numbers tatooed on their forearms. It is announced from Canberra that all alien migrants are to be specially educated in the Australian way of life. Should they become nationalised, an impressive ceremony will mark their adoption of Australian citizenship. This is proposed by the Minister of Immigration, Mr A. A. Calwell, to break down racial prejudice and to make aliens feel that Australia offers them a new home. Mr Calwell described the proposal as a dignified induction ceremony which would serve to instil into the minds of applicants a proper appreciation of the value of their new citizenship.

A ceremony is planned similar to that conducted in the United States when aliens are given nationalisation. At present, when aliens are granted nationalisation they merely attend the local courthouse and take the oath of allegiance before a magistrate or the clerk of the court.