QUESTION OF NATIONALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 10, 11 January 1918, Page 3

QUESTION OF NATIONALITY.

AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP CLAIMED. FIREMAN'S PEREGRINATIONS. A young man named Harry Lewis, traveller (Mr Singer) appealed to the First Auckland Military Service Board to-day that he was not a reservist, he being an American citizen and not a natural-horn British subject. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A., and while a small boy went to Russia, where Jiis widowed mother re-married. Later he was taken by his mother and stepfather to America, and then to Liverpool. He was then sent to New York to his brother, where he had remained until he came out to the colonies about three years ago. He had remained in New Zealand for eighteen months, and then went to Vancouver for two months. He also spent a short time in Seattle, Washington, and in San Francisco, and had been in New Zealand fov eighteen months. His mother was now in England. He understood that his father was an American ami his mother also, being a native of Cleveland, Ohio.

DISCHARGES LOST. Appellant, questioned, said he was a fireman at sra until he injured his spine, and was now travelling around selling soap. When he left New Zealand the last time he did not get a passport, as he •B-orkcd his passage. He had never voted. At the time of general registration he did not fill in the papers, but sent a card to the Government Statistician stating that he was an American subject. He could not produce any certificate or letter showing the place of his birth. He had kept his discharges from the boats he had worked on, but he had lost them, some having been destroyed recently when the place he occupied for the purpose of making floor-polish was burnt down. He had tried to enlist in Wellington, but was told by the examining dcjgtor that he •would be useless for activirferviee. If the Board desired he was quite willing to lie re-examined, and go to camp if neccssarv.

When the chairman suggested the instituting of inquiries, the appellant remembered that his last discharge gave his place of birth as Liverpool. He pointed out at the time that this was wrong, but the man said it didn't matter.

INQUIRY IN AMERICA. The Chairman said there was little doubt but that appellant was of American nationality, but the Board would adjourn the appeal for three months to enable counsel for appellant to communicate with the authorities in Jacksonville, U.S.A., to endeavour to establish the point as to the birthplace of appellant.