NATURALISATION.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17814, 13 July 1923, Page 9

NATURALISATION.

THE PRESENT POSITION. •jJWTE-MKNT Jjy SIR FRANCIS 'MILL. u i;;,'.i;;;;'iv)\, July 12. '[:.. '.. ■■■ :■■: ':.'■ r. has iiritt-n ".'. 11 il - ■ ■■■ !■')'was txplaiiß'd i:: :;>t- i.-.-_i.-' :; ' "' :■■'"'l ;Jl:s afternoon },<: :•:: '/■ ■■ ■ ';'■■':. v. ho moved the kcu;.' ; :••-..-'!■- ■ ;i- British Xational:;v u.vi >:•■■;•'-.; •: .'iii.-n.s iin New Zea:;.''V iJ.il. T.'.-. :..'-: A': p:.— ■<; by trie .\\ vv ZonIsi.d Pa.'ii'in-•'•'', !:'■ said, was in 1>iO ; . J; - ,'iliv!!.. At-:, and it :r.ud'.- j,:-.'-vi-,iv:i !■■■;■ the admission of lor - next A. t '•■;,.- ii; ]■•>:'.. iviii'-li, Unrig consolidated m !■'""■ i-"! I'.-i.'iiuiK.'fl the Alit-iis aii'J N:iiui"-.li-.i:;.i.m Art till to-day. In i'jli i'i'. ).'i;:■•:■,.u Par)ia:iK-iii passed '.be British .Nationality ;..i, ( J Status of Aiit.'iJ :nvhiiL^Vi■!'■>. .-.as actnaly introduced ,:it'j the N<"•".- Z<aland Parliament m VJi-i, I'll w.:s d.-.ayud eoii.-.eql.'L-r.t- on Lie ...ij-J,;"ik i.f war. The Imperial Act in parts •>:.'■ .uid tlirec defined the '•'.iittis of !i Briii-.h subject. Part two 0: tht Act jii''i'. I'i-d for naturalisation. Any pen ion 'it t:i': Empire might adopt. 11, i-i.d nytnrah-aiion became naturaliaa'tiDii througho'ii- the portions of the j; :! ::,:r.. mli.-'I; a-1.-ji ted* it. Xev; Zealand was tmabJe to adopt part tw o of :he Bnti.-n Act. and (Ik- prut-out. Bill provided ttx aii«-r-ii t, .'•■ of oil'/ reina.niu« '..i:».-:-ij •.!'•• wi:n- belore, uith the right of <l ■-termining wiri.iii our own Loundnrv the qua'di -:it ■fjiis of -Jjj.. perion who -iiould yule v. nli ut, ai,d sit in oar Legislature. Il v,as clear that Li.is country differed in .".-a'ly respect-. J i< th other parts of the- Empire. He migUt instance the great Du.'iii;:i"i: of Caiia'ta. v.liic-h was ii+kii:<! l>u))i:laiioli i'nr its land, mid tK !i'7t fusoful r.j ro.sL.rict i!nraiy:r:Ltion to tl:ooi- of oik own faniily. .Moreover, is was ck-ar '-liaf tlio naturalisation of of it foivifjuer in the Ivisi, Kml of lamdon uiivlit. not '\m 01 yreat iniporlaiii.'e, «vtri ii'tiic niunber ran to himdi'ods. It ivas a matter of jniportaiice to us M> l'i' <'Xi'-<--di.'i|tly far.'tul rvspectinf-!: ihos* who were ixjrniittf-d to use tlio iranchise. Tlia-L v.-a.s tlio only right •'denied for*.-i{rnorh. It was important to say that wo shuild oontinuu to he as «« had bf<;ii in tlio past, tlio judges of the qualification* of tlie i'orei,';iH.-r.s to dure with us in the of this country U wa.s suggested the Act with regard to some of these provisions might ho held to bu invalid heu»use of i.o :flint -vitii the Imperial Aft. That, however, was a little more than sprwaml to he possible. If hv implication there was to l>e legislation in ike Imperial Parliament which governed our legislation and prevented tia from legislating for ourselves, it was ' sufcrturiate. It seemed to linn the ■mU-r was placed beyond arpiiment ; by (he Imperial Aet of ll'l-l allowing New •«Mland to legislate for itself. He thought the Bill avoided tlie question of authority altogether, by proposing to declare that the law on this subject a-us (to'Jared in the Imperial Act as the aw cf'New Zealand. By the Constitution Act we might not legislate contrary to the laws of England. Our rieht to legislate on this subject was conferred in 1847, and repeated m 1914. Did that exist if our legi';latinn contravened n portion of a British Act? He insisted that it drd; fmi oar right was untramelled. M© Bsid that the Colonial Liws Validating \et of 1865 was expressly passed in »,vp ortof the view ho t-ok. but in any cm* we bad made th t question immawrinl by the adoption of portions ot *he"British Act. It seemed to Irm a Matter of overwhelming importance that we fchould continue to hold the powm we had, and he wo" Id never be n paHy to bringing in a measure which would deprive us of that power. 'liie Bi 1 was read a 6eeond time and referred to the Statues Revision Committee. ___________