5

H.—22

Acquisition by any person of the status of a British subject by naturalization granted in the United Kingdom, or in any of the dominions, colonies, possessions, or territories of His Majesty other than New Zealand, shall not be deemed to have conferred, and shall not confer, upon such person the status of a British subject in New Zealand. The regulations made by Order in Council prescribe the following fees : — Certificate of naturalization issued to a woman who was a British subject £ s. d. previous to her marriage with an alien .. .. .. ..050 Certificate of naturalization granted to any person who served with any New Zealand Expeditionary Force or with any Imperial Force or Allied Force in the Great War .. .. .. .. ..050 Certificate of naturalization granted to a Native of the islands of Western Samoa .. .. .. .. .. .. ..026 Certificate of naturalization granted in other cases; provided that in any case of indigence, to be determined by the Minister of Internal Affairs, the fee shall be ss. .. .. .. .. .. ..200 The registration of a declaration of alienage .. .. .. .. 010 0 Certified copy of any declaration or certificate .. .. .. 010 0 The Minister of Internal Affairs is empowered to revoke a certificate of naturalization that has been obtained by false representation or fraud or by concealment of material circumstances, or where the person to whom a certificate is granted has shown himself by act or speech to be disaffected or disloyal to His Majesty. The Governor-General in Council is also empowered to revoke a certificate of naturalization where he is satisfied that it is advisable either generally in the public interest or for special reasons affecting the person to whom such certificate has been granted. The duty and discretion imposed and conferred upon the Minister and upon the Governor-General in Council is declared to be absolute, and no order of the Minister or Order in Council therein shall be questioned in any Court or by any proceeding on any ground whatsoever. Thermal Fisheries. The lish taken from several of the lakes and rivers of the thermal district have been found to be in excellent condition. The Lake Taupo trout are in exceptional good condition, and large catches of big fish have been maintained throughout the season. The specimen rainbow trout forwarded to the British Empire Exhibition were taken from Lake Taupo. The fish caught in Lake Rotorua, however, indicate that the lake is overcrowded, and as a consequence a large percentage are in very poor condition. Steps will be taken to remove as many of the fish as possible by netting. Hatchery. —1,055,000 trout-ova were reared as fry, and 899,000 were disposed of as eyed ova to various acclimatization societies. Of the fry, 300,000 were liberated in Lake Taupo and 100,000 in two of the lakes situated within the Pouto Point Bird Sanctuary. Boxing Associations. Section 58 of the Police Offences Act, 1908, requires that any club or association shall be approved by the Governor-General in Council before a permit to hold a boxing contest may be issued by the Inspector of Police of the district in which the contest is held. In accordance with the rules of the New Zealand Boxing Association, adopted during October, 1923, membership of the association is confined to associations approved under the above-quoted statute. For some time past applications from associations with headquarters within twenty miles of the headquarters of an approved local association have been declined, but, acting on the representations of the New Zealand Association, the Minister has agreed to reduce the area to fifteen miles. There are approximately thirty-six approved local associations in the Dominion. Cinematograph-Film Censorship. During the year 1,790 films, of a total length of 4,820,060 ft., have been censored. Of these thirty-two were rejected and 108 passed subject to excisions. In respect of the rejected films, five appeals were considered by the Board of Appeal, consisting of Mrs. K. Preston, Mrs. F. Righton, and Mr. H. M. Gore (Chairman). In four cases the decision of the Censor was upheld, while in the the remaining case the Censor's decision was reversed, subject to two minor excisions. A. manager of a picture-theatre was prosecuted and fined £5 and 9s. costs for exhibiting a film, taken in New Zealand, which had not been approved by the Censor in accordance with the Act. Motor Regulation Act. The Council of any borough having a population of not less than five thousand, and all County Councils, may adopt Part II of this Act and become registering authorities. The number of Councils so registered now totals 148. The Act was first brought into force in the year f 906, and in view of the rapid increase in the number of all classes of motor-vehicles it is only natural the Act does not adequately cover the present conditions. An amending Bill has been drafted which it is hoped will be introduced during the session.