ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 13, 27 March 1912, Page 6

ANGLO-COLONIAL NOTES.

LONDON, February Id. COLONIAL SHIPPING LEGISLATION'. Among the items figuring on th* agenda of the 35t'h annual general meeting of the Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom, which is to take place next Friday in London, is a resolution put forward by the General Shiyowners* Society on the subject of colonial shipping legislation, which reads thus:, — "That this Chamber desires to call attention to the continued introduction into, and passage througn, colonial legislature of bills affecting merchant shipping, involving in some eases breaches of the agreement reached at the Imperial Merchant Shipping Conferences in 1907, and to the serious consequences to the shipping industry of the United Kingdom which have resulted, and may be apprehended, from such legislation. "That this Chamber further desires to point out the enormous disparity in tonnage and value of shipping owned in this country and in the colonies, and the serious effect upon the shipping owned in this country, which may be anticipated, not only directly but also indirectly, by way of retaliation on the part of foreign countries’ against such legislation. “That this Chamber, while recognising the efforts which His Majesty’s Government have already made by friendly representations' to induce the self-govern-ing dominions to frame their legislation in a manner which will do as little harm as possible to Imperial merchant shipping, desires to urge the Government to use their utmost endeavours to prevent further prejudicial legislation on the part of colonial Governments.” NEW ZEALAND'S NEW POSTAGE STAMPS. Mr. 11. Linley Richardson, R.8.A., has designed the new stamps ’or New Zealand, now being engraved by Messrs. Perkins, Bacon and Co., of London. The plates will be of the surface-printing kind, but produced in steel by the “mill and die” process used by this firm chiefly, for plates engraved in recess. The process, although not hitherto very' extensively used for surface-printed postage stamps, has been used for certain of the stamps during the late reign; but its most historic application to stamp-pro-duction was in the well-known “essays” submitted by Messrs. Bacon to the British Government at the time of the change from the old recess-plate system to the typographical method for our English stamps. Previous to that time this firm had printed all the English Ad, Id, lid, and 2d stamps, from the first "Penny Black” of 1840. ' . " The British Soloman Islands and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands are also to have new stamps, which Will bear the portrait of King George. MARRIAGE AND NATIONALITY. The news that the draft of the new Imperial Naturalisation Bill has been sent to the Governments of the Dominions overseas tor their consideration, gives food for thought to Englishwomen in every part of the world, but specially commands the attention of the enfranchised women of Australia and New Zealand. Few subjects bristle with more difficulties than the question of naturalisation. It occupied a prominent place in the discussions of the Imperial Conference. The framers of the new. measure seem to have done their best to meet the extraordinary variety of cases which come in question in an Empire such as ours where many races beside tiie dominant one have to be taken into account. The main provisions are that naturalisation of aliens as British subjects shall be conditional on five years’ continuous residence within British territory, good character and an adequate knowledge of the English language (or of any other language recognised in any Dominion as on an equality with English). In addition, the applicant for naturalisation must also take the oath of allegiance. It is provided that the law shall become operative in each of the self-govVrning dominions only after the local legislatures have adopted it. ' . ■ It will lie noticed in the foregoing that there .is no discrimination between man and woman. As far as Australia and New Zealand are concerned, the matter is perfectly clear. In those countries since ihe franchise was granted to both Mxm *4U>lly, th* word “m**,” fat all

legislation la held to Include woman. But the case ie different in those parts of the British- dominions where full citizen-rights are not as yet granted to Women. In those parts, including the British Isles, an Englis'awoman who marries an alien loses by that act her nationality, and with it all protection ns a British subject. She is counted from that moment a subject of the land to which her husband belongs. And from this position there is no return Even if her husband dies, or if she divorces him, or he divorces her, she remains an alien, and cannot regain her status as an Englishwoman except iby the process of a second marriage with a British subject.

A case such as this reveals clearly iwhat is the position before the law of a married woman in countries where these antiquated laws prevail. She is the mere chattel of her husband, and as far as nationality goes she lias none of her own. An instance from New Zealand will be fresh in the minds of many. An Englishwoman, married in London to an American, had settled with her husband in Auckland. Believing herself still a British subject she sought to take up her voter’s right. Her husband, on his side, wished to retain his own nationality. The local judge declared that the wife had lost her nationality iby marriage, and consequently her name could not stand on the voters’ roll. Marriages between Australian and New Zealand girls and foreigners are pretty common. How many of these brides realise that if they leave their native land for residence elsewhere, even under the British flag, that flag is no longer their own? They have no choice in the matter. They are Austrians, Russians, Italians—what you will, but not legally Englishwomen. Now, the ordinary mind will naturally expect that, in the march of progress, the new Imperial law will redress this wrong. Incredible as it may seem, the removal of the grievance is a matter ot doubt. Englishwomen are left, where they wire. Nay, more, there are some legal authorities who hold that because the Australian and New Zealand Naturalisation Acts do not definitely state that the word “man" includes “woman,” the old Imperial Act of 1870 overrides them. So, not only may the .present evil lie perpetuated, but Australian and New Zealand women may. in their own countries, lose the rights which they now believe themselves to possess. In June, 1911, when the Imperial Con ference was sitting in London, a number of Australian and New Zealand women, then in England, brought the question before the notice of every member of the Conference. They ahso went in deputation to the Australian Premier, who promised that no new Imperial Naturalisation Act would be accepted by his Government which did not secure to Australian women the rights they already possessed. Sir J. G. Ward gave ft similar assurance.

The hon. sec. of the Australian and New Zealand Women Voters’ Committee (London) has just written to both •Premiers, reminding them of these assurances, and expressing the hope that the matter will be kept in view by their respective Governments when the draft of the new bill conies up for discussion.