The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 19, 1915. “ALIEN ENEMY."

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1438, 19 August 1915, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, August 19, 1915. “ALIEN ENEMY."

Thkkk has been much confusion in the public mind as to the exact meaning under the law of “ alien enemy,” especially in view of the altered definition under recent regulations. The Attorney-Gene-ral (the Hon. A. L. Herdman), who has had the war legislation in hand for the Government, gives the following explanation ” The expression ‘ alien enemy ’ usually means a person who is the subject of an enemy State, and who cues allegiance to an enemy Sovereign or Government. But under the regulations made under the War Regulations Act, 1914, the term was given a more, extended meaning. The War Regulations Act was passed during last session of Parliament to make better provision for public safety, the defence of New Zealand, and the effective conduct ol military and naval operations during the war 11 For the purposes of the War Regulations Act it became neccessary to give a special meaning to the term * alien enemy,’ and by regulations made on the rolh of November, 1914. ‘ alien enemy,’ was defined as ‘ including (except in regulations Nos, 9 and 26) any person who has been naturalised in New Zealand and who would have been an alieu enemy had he not been so naturalised, and also fncludiug (except as aforesaid) any person reasonably suspected of being an alien enemy.’ This extension of the meaning of the term was made so ‘tiat we might better control persons who, being of German or Austrian birth and origin, bad become naturalised under our naturalisation laVT®. b»t who might be a menace to public safety. “ Then the definition of ‘Alien enemy ' was turther extended on the 19th of July last to cover another class of persons. The original regulation which I have mentioned was repealed and a new regulation was made which reads as follows: For the purposes of the War Regulations (except clause 26 of the War Regulations of the 10th November, 1914) every person shall be deemed to be an alien enemy who is or has at any time been a subject of any State with which His Majesty

is now at war, notwithstanding the fact that such person may be also by birth, naturalisation, or otherwise a British subject, or may have in any manner ceased to be a subject of any such State.”