BRITISH STATUS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 135, 9 June 1937, Page 7

BRITISH STATUS

CITIZENSHIP QUESTION SATISFACTORY CONCLUSIONS. LONDON, June 7. That Australians and New Zealanders will retain their status as British subjects will be recognised in the report of the imperial Conference Constitutional Committee, which will be issued to-morrow. It is understood that conclusions satisfactory to all the Dominions have been reached. It is gathered that during the discussions Australia and New Zealana intimated that they were averse to introducing legislation similar to Canada’s and South Africa’s nationality laws. The report deals with the status or individuals in respect to their citizenship of the British Commonwealth and more particularly in respect to citizenship of individual Dominions. In connection with the question whether one Dominion shall receive citizens of another or whether It shall be entitled to deport them it Is gathered that the Conference decided that it shall be within the competence of each member of the Commonwealth to decide who shall constitute its own citizens. For example, every Dominion will be free to confer its own citizenship on any national or group of nationals it chooses, but it has been agreed that any Dominion adopting classes or categories of nationals under its own citizenship shall, as occasion arises, consult and co-operate with the other members of the British Commonwealth.