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35
Report of the Welfare Officer (Miss I. O. D. Harrison, S.S.D.)
In my Report for 1962, I referred to the explosive increase in
the numbers of Commonwealth Immigrants who were arriving in
the Borough in an attempt to forestall any barriers they felt might
result from the pending Commonwealth Immigrants Act (July,
1962). During the last year the restrictions of the Act have naturally
been reflected in the numbers of people from the Commonwealth
arriving in Paddington because, as we know, the figures were
immediately drastically reduced.
The Home Office figures in respect of movement in and out of
the United Kingdom by Commonwealth citizens (subject to control
under Part 1 of the Act) show that for the last six months of the
year 1963, the total net inflow was 33,980. During this period the
highest net inflow recorded was from India and Pakistan, total
22,800. Other figures showed net inflow from Nigeria total 2,459,
Jamaica total 1,793, British Guiana total 1,195, Barbados 733.
(All figures including men, women and children).
In the case of Jamaica there was an actual net outflow of men,
and, in fact, it should be particularly remarked that for all the
Caribbean territories the low net inflow was the result of fairly
substantial outflow.
In the Borough of Paddington the largest group of Commonwealth
Immigrants comprises people from West Indian Territories.
Although we have a number of people from the countries of Africa,
they, nevertheless, form a much smaller group. People from
Pakistan and India are to date an extremely small minority. I have
quoted the above figures because from them 1 think it is reasonable
to assume that the immigrant population in Paddington over the
last year would have remained fairly static—although, of course,
we must take it for granted that there may have been minor fluctuations
owing to such things as change of residence. There are, of
course, no statistics available to indicate the situation in respect of
Irish immigrants.
The severe winter of 1962/63 created new problems and aggravated
many of the existing ones. Particularly affected was employment
because outdoor and buildings trades were drastically hit.
Numbers of people were put out of employment at this time and
the unemployment figures at local exchanges showed this. As the
local population comprises large numbers of working-class newcomers,
a preponderance of people attending the labour exchanges
were immigrants. This situation gave me particular cause for
anxiety, quite apart from the actual problems created by unemployment.
First, because unemployment engenders fear and panic, and
it is therefore at such times that latent prejudice can more easily
erupt, particularly if obvious newcomers are seen in employment,
while natives of this country are without it. Secondly, because
prejudiced people will seize on anything which tends to justify their
points of view, and the sight of newcomers attending the labour
exchanges was quickly taken by many of them as being confirmation
of their contention that immigrants come here to draw "dole" or
live on National Assistance.
As we know, working-class immigrants come with the specific
intention of obtaining work and are subjected to the same rules in
relation to National Insurance and National Assistance as the rest