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No. 63. hew Zealand, No. 20. Sir, — Government House, Wellington, 17th February, 1911. I have the honour to transmit to you copy of a memorandum received from my Prime Minister, together with copy oi a letter and newspaper cuttings sent to him by the Rev. J . Jti. Mackenzie, Moderator of the General Assemoly of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, relative to the complaints of abuse existing under the condominium m the New Hebrides Islands. I have, &c, ISLINGTON, The Right Hon. Lewis V. Harcourt, P. 0., &c, Governor. Secretary of State for the Colonies.

No. 64. New Zealand, No. 21. Sir, — Government House, Wellington, 17th February, 1911. With reference to your despatch, No. 272, of the 25th November, 1910, I have the honour to transmit to you copy of a memorandum received from my Prime Minister, submitting observations respecting the report of the Interdepartmental Committee upon the draft of a .Bill to consolidate and amend the enactments relating to naturalization, British nationality, and the status of aliens. I have, &c, ISLINGTON, The Right Hon. Lewis V. Harcourt, P.C., &c., ' Governor. Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Enclosure. Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, 15th February, 1911. Memorandum for His Excellency the Governor. The Prime Minister presents his compliments to His Excellency the Governor, and begs to submit the following observations respecting the report of the Inter-departmental Committee upon the draft of a Bill to consolidate and amend the enactments relating to naturalization, British nationality, and the status of aliens, which report and draft Bill was forwarded with the despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies, No. 188, of the 9th November, 1908, returned herewith. With regard to the provisions of clause 26 of the said draft Bill, it is deemed advisable that some provision should be made whereby naturalization throughout the whole Empire should be obtainable in the British possessions (dominions and colonies), but it is considered doubtful whether the provisions contained in that clause are the best that could be devised for the purpose. They are open to the objection that they render necessary the permanent continuance of a double system of naturalization, Imperial and colonial. An applicant in the British possessions for Imperial naturalization would first of all have to obtain colonial naturalization, and then to make a separate application for Imperial naturalization, which when obtained would completely supersede the colonial naturalization on which it was based. This seems to be a needless and inadvisable complication. It is therefore suggested for consideration as an alternative plan that the naturalization provisions of the Imperial Bill should apply to the whole Empire, subject to the following powers expressly conferred upon the various colonial Legislatures : — (1.) Power to provide the necessary machinery and procedure for bringing those provisions into operation in the colony — e.g., determining the colonial officials by whom the powers of the Secretary of State are to be there exercised, establishing the necessary penal provisions, appointing fees, authorizing regulations by the Governor in Council, &c. (2.) Power to impose further restrictions, limitations, and conditions on applications in the colony for Imperial naturalization. (3.) Power, as at present, to provide for colonial naturalization, granted on easier terms than Imperial naturalization, but without extra-territorial operation. It is further suggested that all the provisions of the Imperial Bill which are intended to be of universal application throughout the Empire should be collected in a separate part of the Bill, and that this part should be expressly declared to be so applicable. J. G. Waed, Prime Minister.