IMPERIAL NATURALISATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1401, 29 March 1912, Page 9

IMPERIAL NATURALISATION.

WHISItiJ WOMEN LOSE. Tho news that tho draft of the lien' Imperial Naturalisation liill has been sent to the Governments of the Dominions oversea for their consideration gives iood„fpr thought to Englishwomen in every pareiif the world, says a writer in tho "Sydney Morning ilerali," but specially ' commands the attention of tlio enfranchised women of Australia and New Zealand. Few subjects bristle with more difficulties than the question of naturalisation. It occupied a prominent placo in the discussions of tho Imperial Conference. The main provisions are fhat naturalisation of aliens as British subjects shall bo conditional on five years' continuous resideneo within territory under his Majesty's allegiance, good character, and an adequate knowledge of tho English language (or of any other language recognised in any dominion as on an equality with' English). In addition, tho applicant for naturalisation must also tako the oath of allegiance. It is provided that the lawshall become operative in each of tho selfgoverning dominions only after the local Legislatures, havo adopted it. Man and Woman Alike. It will be noticed in tho foregoing that thero is no discrimination between man and woman. As far as Australia and New Zealand are concerned tho matter is perfectly clear. In those countries sinco tho franchise was granted to both sexes equally the word man in all legislation is lieid to includo woman. But tho caso is different in thoso parts of the British dominions where full citizen rights are not as yet granted to women. In those parts, including the British Isles, an Englishwoman who marries an alien loses by that act her nationality, and with it all protection as a British subject. She is count-, ftd from that moment a subject of tho foreign land to which her husband belongs. And from this position there is no return. Even if her husband dies, even if ho should provo unworthy and divorce her, sho has no redress but one, viz., to marry, as second husband, a British subject. A case such as this reveals dearly what is the position before the law of a married woman in countries where these antiquated laws prevail. Sho is the mere chattel of her husband, and as far as nationality goes she has none of her own. Marriages between Australian and New Zealand girls and foreigners are pretty common. How many of theso happy young brides realise that if they leave their native land for residence elsewhere, even under the British flag, that flag is 110 longer their own? They have no choice in the matter. They aro Austrians, Russians, Italians—what you will—but never Englishwomen again. Losing Their Rights. Now tho ordinary mind will naturally expect that, in the march of progress, the new Imperial law will redress this wrong. Incredible as it may seem, tho removal of tho grievance is a matter of doubt. Englishwomen aro left where they were. Nay, more, thero aro some legal authorities who hold that because the Australian and New Zealand Naturalisation Acts do not definitely state that the word mail includes woman, the old Imperial Act of 1870 overrides them. So wo aro faced with tho danger that not only may the piesent evil bo perpetuated, but that Australian and New Zealand women may in their own countries lose tho rights which they now believe theinselvc-s to possess. In June, 1911, when the Imperial Conference was sitting in LondDn, a body of patriotic Australian and New Zealand women, led by Miss Vida Goldstein, then in England, and Lady Stout, brought this question before tho notice of overy memtor of the conference. They also went in deputation to the Australian Prime Minister, who promised that no new Imperial Naturalisation Act would be accepted by his Government which did not securo to 'Australian women tho rights they already possessed. Sir J. G. Ward gavo a similar assurance.

The lion, secretary of tho Australian and Now Zealand Women Voters' Committee (London) has written to both Prime Ministers, reminding them of these assurances, and expressing a confident hopo that tho matter will be kept, before the attention of their respective Governments when tho draft of the now Bill comes up for discussion. But in tho tremendous pressure of business which at times almost overwhelms our Parliamentary representatives, it is only too likely that some details of a measure may ba overlooked It is the duty, as well as the legal right, of the women of Australia and New Zealand to help their men by keeping clearly before flieir minds a detail of such importance as this.

In California the Recorder of Sacramento, tho State capital, has just decided that women who marry foreigners no longer loso their citizenship by so doing, as is the fate of wonten in tho non-suf-frage States. Public opinion in Great Britain is ripe for tho change if Australian and New Zealand women will lead. It is quite passible that they may secure for their sisters in the other parts of the Empire what their own laws have already secured to them, the preservation of their nationality independent of marriage.