VOTER'S NATURALISATION

Chronicle (Levin), 8 May 1947, Page 5

VOTER'S NATURALISATION

— Press Association

Crown Prosecutor Before Electoral Court

By Telegraph-

HAMILTON, May 8. An unusual occurrence in the Electoral Court this morning was the brief appearance of Mr. J. F. Strang, Crown Prosecutor at Ham-^ ilto*n, to make representations concerning a question which oecupied , the court last week— the naturalisation of . the voter, Nedilko Mate Devcich. Mr, Strang said he received telegraphic instructions yesterday that the Crown, Law Office was interested in th'e general question of the status of a person born outside New Zeala'nd to parents of whom the mother was a native of the country where the child was born while the father, although also a native of that country, had held restricted rights of naturalisauion within New Zeala'nd under Statutes since repealed. Mr. Strang said his instruction was to draw both counsels' atten^ :ion to certain legal authorities having a bearing on the matter, and if necessary to appear himself and draw the court's atten^ tion to these authorities. He said that counsel on both sides had been very. co-operative, but neither was noyr interested in the question he had beeri instructed to raise. He had, therefore, appeared to cite the relevant authorities to the court for its consideration. Mr. Cleary, concluding his submissions for the respondent, said that of the petitioner's two objecticns to the" postal voters, whose declarations allegedly did not bear the authorised signature, one had been proved and one" had failed, while respondent's one objection on this ground had been proved.