NATURALISATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17064, 24 July 1917, Page 3

NATURALISATION.

A POLICY OF UNIFORMITY. LUCKY NEW ZEALAND. (Feom Oob Own Correspondent.) LONDON, June 1. lne Imperial War Conference passed a resolution recognising the desirability and the importance of securing uniformity of policy and action throughout the Empire with regard to naturalisation. Mr Massey said he was afraid that in tho naturalisation laws the dominions had been more lax than the United Kingdom. There had already been trouble and difficulty, and hs hoped some legislation would be passed to enable them to avoid similar trouble ji the _ future. Sir J. Ward said that their experience in the war had shown them how impossible it whs to allow liberties to be taken by enemy subjects, many of whom, upon the outbreak of war, directly associated themselves with_the-r country of origin. He hoped tna Bnt:sh Government wou d get legislation of a drastic nature on the Statute iiook, and that the oversea dominions m turn would follow in the direction of ensuring- their preservation from any enemy efforts through naturalised subjects to weaken them in the future. i In reply to Mr Massey, Sir Edward Troup I \a^ m a omcc > said that under the Act of 1914 fave years was required before there could be any naturalisation. It provided that where the Act was adonted bv a dominion, then the certificate granted' by the dominion should have effect throughout the whole Empire. As a matter of fact, the \ct was passed just after tho beginning of the w « nr 'ii a ?u h , ad r cceiv ed the absolute consent ot all the dominions, 1 ut on account of ftho war it had not obtained tho amount of attention which it deserved Mr Massey: Is that the Act? S.r E. Troup: Th at is the Act which has boon adopted in Canada. The Hon. R Rogers (Canada): Have you adopted it in Now Zealand? Mr Massey: No. we have not. Mr Rogers: Then vou are lucky