The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY. 2, 1914. BRITISH CITIZENSHIP.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2138, 2 May 1914, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY. 2, 1914. BRITISH CITIZENSHIP.

-—-—~z~ —-— The standardisation of British citizenship is one of tho problems set down for consideration by the present session of the British Parliament. A. Bill dealing with the matte!; luts already passed its second residing in the House of Lords, attil if its progress is not impeded by ths prolonged discussion of Home Ihjle and other great controversial problems, it is not likely to experience any serious difficulty in finding its way to the Statute Book. The. provisions of the .measure have already . received the approval of the British Goviirnment and the Governments of . the overseas Dominions, and the principles which it embodiesreceived the unanimous iisSont of the last Imperial Conference. The main idea is to do away with a most unreasonable anomaly, and no revolutionary change in the existing order, of things, is proposed.. In explaining the Bill, Loud BisjSgtt pointed out that at present jin alien naturalised iii the Mother Country carries the privileges of British'' citizenship with him over the whole world; whereas an alien naturalised in one of the Dominions becomes an alien, again when he migrates to Britain or osw of the other Dominions, unless his naturalisation is recognised by special local legislation. It is proposed to do away with this illogical and inconvenient state of affairs, and td make Imperial 'nationality world-wide and uniform. The step has not- been taken without very careful consideration; indeed, tho history of the Bill affords another proof of the slow and cautious manner in which the Empire moves in these matters. Tho measure now before the British Parliament .is the * result of negotiations' between the British Government and the overseas Dominions, extending over a period of something like ten years. No ono by any stretch of the imagination can call this hasty legislation; but it is better to proceed slowly and surely, than to tun the risk of creating soreness and friction by hurried and ill-cmisidcrod Action, The safest; method ot Imperial consolidation is along tho lines of gradual political' evolution. .British citizenship certainly ought to be placed on a monj regular and satisfactory footing. From the_ standpoints of sentiment, business, and personal convenience, it 1 is an important link in.tho Imperiid system; and it does not require much consideration to realise how inconvenient and anomalous it. is that a is a naturalised subject in one of the Dominions may become an alien whenever lie goes, to the United Kingdom, even though he may be a Minister of the Crown visiting London on business of State. Something has already been done to remove tho anomaly by local legislation in various overseas Dominions providing that persons naturalised in other British communities shall he recognised as British subjects without' further formalities; hut the law in Great Britain has not yet bean brought up_ to date in this* matter, and there is. a. good deal of variation in the overseas regulations''as .far as the period of prior residence necessary for naturalisation purposes is concerned. Tlte British Bill pro- ■ vides for five years' residence in the Empire, the last year of such residence to be in that part of the Empire where the applicant is living at the time. _ The Dominions' Governments are given the to grant certificates of naturalisation as the British Secretary of State, but this will have So effect in t-he Dominions until it is adopted by them. The method of bringing the proposed reform into operation is by an amendment of the British law,, as indicated above, setting forth the ! conditions for naturalisation in. .Britain and declaring that persons so naturalised shall'be British"suhjefiis thi'oiig'haut the- world; also by giving similar laws passed •by the Dominion _ Parliaments tho same: "extra-territorial" validity . if they : embody the standard eonditions pre-' scribed in the British. Act, Each of the Dominions quite properly claim® the right to* manage its own purely domestic affairs in its own way_ without.any external pros-: sure or interference, but a mutual understanding and concerted action in fnatta's_ of common interest, sue}?, as natm'alisatiisn laws, .are essential to efficiency and smoothness in the intercourse between tlie self-govern-ing cpmmiwiti.cs of < which the Empire is composed. The Dominions will still have the right, if they think fit, to grant, local naturalisation after periods of residence of less than five years; hut'persons whose residential qualification, is. less thiiß . the standard period would not be able to claim world-wide recognitian as British subjects until the completion of the five-year period. The proposed new departure. in the matter of British citizenship would not override the immigration laws of the ■ self-governing' States, nor would it ; have any bearing on tho question of franchise. It would not take nway or modify any of the existing powers of the Dominion Parliaments in deal-: ing with these matters. It i.s nevertheless a necessary and important forward step in the direction of imperial co-operation. Lord Emjio'tt, in moving the gccoad reading of the Bill, did not pretend that it would make any_ startling change in the relationships between the various parts of the Empire, but ho did claim that it would furnish somo useful cement to bind the Empire together, and to round off the struc* turo of British citizenship; and that by filling up some of the cracks in the old building it would remove a, long-felt grievance. A measure that will fill this sphere of usefulness, however modest it may appear, ought to receive a cordial welcome as a practical contribution to the great cause of Imperial unity.