THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 329, 16 June 1911, Page 5

THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

THE NATURALISATION QUESTION. A SOLUTION ARRIVED AT. By cable.—Press Association.—Copyright London, June 14. , At the Imperial Conference, Mr. Churchill, dealing with Mr. Batchelor's motion on naturalisation, said that uniformity was important, and it would be a great advantage if they could remedy the present inconveniences. Any Bystem must be based on the assent of local Parliaments, and the draft Bill must not be regarded as final or perfect, but simply as a peg on which to hang discussion. Each Dominion must be the judge of its own conditions for granting certificates. If effect was given to the wishes expressed they must face two standards of naturalisation—a local and Imperial one. Britain would not depart from the five years' qualifying period. He suggested that any person obtaining a. Dominion's certificate could apply for the Imperial certificate; thus it might be possible to allow existing diversities to continue, and it would be competent for the Dominions to legislate to prevent the Imperial certificate being issued where naturalisation was refused in a particular Dominion. He suggested the following solution: (1) That the Imperial nationality should be world-wide and uniform, each Dominion remaining free to grant local certificates on its own lines.

(2) The Mother Country finds it necessary to maintain the five years' qualifying period, but a quinquennium anywhere in the Empire should be equivalent to a quinquennium in the United Kingdom.

(3) The granting of the Imperial nationality in every case to be discretionary, this discretion to be exercised by those responsible in the area where the applicant has spent the last twelve months.

(4) The Imperial Act should be so formed as to enable the Dominion to adopt it. (o) Nothing now proposed shall affect the. validity or effectiveness of local laws regulating immigration or differentiating between classes of British subjects. Mr. Chuw'iill s.tpsrestrit that the Bill be re-drafted accr.nling to these suggestions and submitted for consideration as soon as possillf. Dr. Findlay said that some needless duplication with Tegard to local and Imperial applications might be avoided by an Imperial statute, which it was open to. the Dominions to adopt or not.

Mr. Batchelor slid that Mr. Churchill's suggestions overcame most of the difficulties. It would be convenient to set up an.lmperial standard. Mr. Churchill moved his suggestions as a resolution, which was carried.

OTHER MATTERS. London, June 14. Sir Joseph Ward's motion in favor of Uniform laws for compensation for accidents was adopted. Mr. Churchill moved that where aliens were deported from any Dominion to another it was desirable that some system should be devised whereby the Governments concerned should effectively cooperate in measures for the final disposition of such aliens. This was adopted. T The conference agreed that the King's Birthday should be celebrated throughout the Empire on June 3. The question of Empire Day was also discussed, but no decision was reached. The conference was adjourned till Thursday. The Westminster Gazette states that the one decisive answer of Sir Joseph Ward showed that he feared disintegration unless closer unity in governing institutions was effected. As long as Britain was strong enough at «ea to prevent the enemy attacking the Dominions no such questions would arise, and therefore the question of the navy was the alpha and omega of British police. The Pall Mall Gazette strongly supports Sir Joseph Ward's contention that if there is no closer council of the Empire than the gathering of Premiers once every four years the outlook for Imperial unity is grave and clouded. It adds that Sir Joseph Ward declines to believe that the Empire can struggle along with nottiing but sentimental ties and still maintain unity under concrete ordeals.