Immigration
Sir: Dr Mishan fails to draw the logical con- clusion from his own very sensible reasoning (Letters, 31 May and 7 June). Of course what is done can be undone. Errors can be put right and repatriation of a million immigrants is a perfectly feasible proposition. In fact, if non- European immigrants are not within five years moving out as fast as they came in, the social fabric of this country will be irretrievably dam- aged and at best we may have authoritarian rule designed to maintain a minimum of order between irreconcilable communities.
The majority of non-European immigrants have fortunately not yet established a full legal title to British nationality. A sovereign state is entitled to move 'them out while existing laws —framed to deal with completely different past situations—may have to be amended to cover remaining cases.
If approximately a quarter of the present £265 million allocated annually by the British government for overseas aid were set aside for transport and resettlement schemes, it would be cheaper than the alternative. As India has just shown in a recent agreement with Ceylon, the country of origin can cooperate. As far as West Indians are concerned the present Prime Minister of Guyana has offered to take coloured settlers.
Enforcement may be necessary. But I doubt it. And in any case the forms of enforcement could be no worse than the compulsion and ex- propriation which will be inflicted on the lives, liberties, and properties of British-born citizens under the new Race Relations Bill.
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