NATURALISATION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 136, 4 March 1919, Page 7

NATURALISATION

AMERICA AND ENEMY ALIENS. In a letter to the "New York World" of November 29, Mr. Merton A. Surges, chief naturalisation examiner, states the conditions under which subjects of Germany and Austria-Hungary may be admitted to citizenship of tho United States:-. - "The only legal restriction upou the granting of citizenship to alien enemies is that certain notice must'be given in their cases, during which rigid investigation into their conduct is made from which to determine their loyalty, and behaviour. The German or Austrian subject who has shown unquestioned loyalty to America during the period of his residence here, and who can meet tho requirements of the general naturalisation law, will experience ro embarrassment except the delay incident to the large number of individual cases under investigation. "Tho Act of Congress approved May 9, 1918, provides that no petition for naturalisation filed by an <nomy alien shall be 'called for a hearing, or heard, except after 90 days' notice given by the clerk of the Court to the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner of Naturalisation to be present, / and the petition shall be given no final hearing except in open court and after such notice to the representative of tho Government from the Bureau of Naturalisation, whose objection shall cause the petition to bo continued from time to time for so long as the Government may require.'

"In many cases in Greater New York city, the investigation conducted by various branches of the federal Government has fully established the loyalty of the applicants, and the objection to their cases has been removed and the usual notice of hearing given by the clerk of the Court. Similar action will be taken in all meritorious cases as rapidly as they can he reached. No law hag been passed lengthening the life of declarations of intention or first paoers, except in cases where proper applications for final papers were filed before January 81, 191S, supported oy 'old-law' firat papers."