ALIEN REGISTRATION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 153, 24 March 1920, Page 7

ALIEN REGISTRATION

BELGIAN WOMAN CONVICTED. ■' By -Telecranh—Press Association. Christchurch.. March' 23. A Belgian woman named Jane Heck was brought rather sharply to a recognition of the requirements of New Zealand's alien registration laws by beingbrought before Mr. M'Carthy, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court to-day, charged with'being an alien, who, being required to be registered under tho Registration of_ Aliens Act, 1917, .failed to .make application for .registration within the time and in the manner prescribed bv that Act.

Sonior-Sergeant Cummings said- defendant ihad stated she' thought it was •unnecessary (o register as an alien in the ordinary way, as she was a Belgian and Belgium was one of the Allies. A great number of unregistered aliens wero :Ktill in New Zealand, and the Government Statistician was -very anxious to diavo them registered. He had ordered the. prosecution merely to give publicity to tho need for registration, and asked' for only a nominal penalty. There was no suggestion that defendant had endeavoured to evade registration. The-Magistrate: "You must understand that all who are not Britishere .are required to register. Your failure ■to do so has rendered you liablo to a fine of ,£SO. However, von aTe apparently not at fault, and I shall convict and discharge you."