NATURALISATION

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10263, 15 June 1911, Page 5

NATURALISATION

CABLE NEWS

United Press Association— By Ekotrie Tdegravh—Copyright.

SERIES OF RESOLUTIONS.

MR CHURCHILL MEETS THE CASE. (Received June 14, 1 p.m.) * LONDON, Jun^lS. At the Imperial Conference to-day, Mr Lewi* Harcourt, Secretary of State for the Colonies, £ re&lded - There were also present Sir J. A. Simon (Solicitor-General) and Mr Winston Churchill (Home Secretary). The resolutions by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa with regard to naturalisation were discussed. The resolutions were respectively :- Thait, iso far as consistent with the 'law, and conditions obtaining therein, each part of the British Empire should make provision to (facilitate the naturalisation of persons who'have been admitted to naturalisation in any other part of the Empire. Thait it is in the best interests of the Empire that there should be more uniformity throughout the centres and dependencies in the taw of ... • naturalisation. That it is desirable to review the principles underlying the draft- Bill for Imperial Naturalisation (before its details are further discussed. General opinion favoured an Imperial certificate of naturalisation, with the retention of the Dominions' local conditions. Mr Churchill crystallised his suggestions into a series of resolutions —which was adopted— conceding world-wide. nationality, provided there had been residence for five years in. any part of the Empire. The overseas resolutions were withdrawn.

DISCUSSION OF RESOLUTIONS

QUESTION OF ALIENS

(Received Last Night, 11.40 o'clock.) LONDON, June 14. Mr Batchelor, in moving at the Imperial Conference a resolution that every Dominion must determine whom it will admit to citizenship, said it was no part of the Conference's work to lay down rules. Nothing could be done in regard to Imperial naturalization except by the Dominions themselves. The condition in the various Dominions varied considerably. He asked whether it was not worth while giving an Imperial certificate with a standard embodying the most drastic conditions imposed by any Dominion. In that way Imperial nationality would be secured without interference with the Dominions' right to compel an applicant to comply with local requirements. Sir Wilfrid Laurier urged that British subjects from anywhere should be recognised everywhere. Sir Joseph Ward, referring to the Imperial draft of a Bill, said that the equalisation'laws of British citizenship must be kept entirely separate from the question of naturalisation of aliens*. If that was done and the Dominions retained their powers to exclude aliens, there could be no reasonable objection to a definite British citizenship throughout the Empire. Mr Malan saw. practical difficulties existing in the two sets of certificates which the draft bill proposed. He agreed with Sir Wilfrid Laurier's, view.