BRITISH WOMEN

Southland Times, Issue 21854, 3 November 1932, Page 5

BRITISH WOMEN

MARRIAGE WITH ALIENS. RETENTION OF NATIONALITY. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, November 2. Provision for a woman who. is a British subject to have the option of retaining her British nationality in the event of her marriage with an alien is contained in the British Nationality and Status of Aliens (in New Zealand) Amendment Bill which was read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee by the House of Representatives this afternoon. The Bill was sponsored by Mr P. Fraser (L. Wellington Central) who explained that it dealt with a subject that had been discussed at Imperial conferences as well as by representatives of the various nations of the League of Nations at Geneva. The present law embodied a Continental idea whereby the woman took the nationality of her husband and his amendment brought the law into line with the British idea of nationality which was immensely superior to that of. Germany, Russia, Sweden, France and other Continental countries. Parliament had realized during the Great War the hardship imposed on British women by reason of their marriage to those of German extraction and provision had been made in certain circumstances for such women to resume their nationality. He could never see why a New Zealand girl who married a Swede should become a Swede and be denied in this country the ordinary rights of citizenship because she fell in love with a man of other than her own nationality. At present such women were classed as aliens in the country of their birth. The matter had been discussed at Imperial conferences and there had been no actual hostility to what he proposed so. far as the British Commonwealth of Nations was concerned. There was, however, fear of complications with other countries. It was not surprising that when the matter came up at Geneva that it should be over-ruled by people brought up in a different atmosphere and one in which the social status of woman was considered inferior. There was no reason why any New Zealand girl should be deprived of her own nationality in her own country by reason of her marriage with an alien. Mr W. E. Barnard (L. Napier) supported the Bill. He -said he trusted the Bill would be seriously regarded by the House and become law during the present session. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee.