179

A.—s

is a question of the greatest importance to the Colonies. Experience and scientific observation have taught us much on the subject, but here in this country we have a dense established population, and the difficulties which will occur in connection with naturalization are not likely to be of a critical nature. To the Colonies with their vast unfilled territories, we recognise that questions of immigration and naturalization admittedly must be of the greatest moment. In what I have to say I propose to deal with the main considerations and to avoid for the present the subsidiary points, and all the more so because when you disturb the seemingly quiet surface you very soon find that there are a series of rocks and shoals in law and other directions in connection with this question. The draft Bill circulated as a basis for this discussion I need not say we have no desire to rush in any sense at all. It has been prepared for this discussion, and I have no doubt the discussion will be full in every way. Our wish in seeking uniformity is to cover by the Act which we have in prospect as completely as possible all the ground which is common to us all, both injthe United Kingdom and in the Colonies; and the Bill itself re-enacts, consolidates, and, to a certain extent, amends the existing law. In its construction we proceeded from the circumstances to the centre rather than from the centre to the circumference. First and foremost, I would like to draw the attention of the Conference to the fact that the Bill proposes to remove two principal anomalies which have for a long time caused irritation and inconvenience, both in the Colonies and in the Mother Country. First of all, as the law now stands, a certificate of naturalization can only be granted in the United Kingdom—excepting the case of a person in the service of the Crown —to a person who has resided, and intends to reside, in the United Kingdom. If he intends to go to the Colonies, however closely associated he may be with British interest and British life generally, he cannot be naturalised. Therefore it comes to this, that a wish on the part of this person to go to the Colonies in itself becomes a disqualification. Conversely, if a man in the Colonies is identified with Colonial interests, even if he is naturalised in that Colony, he cannot qualify if he comes to the Mother Country until he has resided here for five years. So that his Colonial connection is again a disqualification for a period of five years during which he cannot become a British subject. Our view is that these anomalies are totally opposed to the principle of unity and solidarity within the Empire with regard to this matter. We propose to deal with this in clause 7of the Bill, which provides that: "An alien who within such limited time before making " the application hereinafter mentioned as has been under any Act hereby " repealed or may be allowed by the Secretary of State, either by general " order or on any special occasion, has resided in His Majesty's Dominions " for not less than five years or has been in the service of the Crown for not " less than five years, and he intends, when naturalised, either to reside in " His Majesty's Dominions, or to serve under the Crown, may apply to the " Secretary of State for a certificate of naturalization." It is in its general terms taken from the Act of 1870, but substituting " His Majesty's Dominions " for " the United Kingdom." In that way we propose to entirely remove this particular anomaly. The second leading anomaly to which I have alluded lies in the fact that a certificate of naturalization granted in a Colony takes effect only in that Colony. We propose to remove that by clause 26 of the Bill, the effect of which in brief is this, that where conditions of naturalization in a Colony are substantially the same as those required in the United Kingdom, an Order of His Majesty in Council may enable that certificate granted in that Colony to have effect throughout the Empire. That provision produces two main results; a certificate granted in the Colonies in that prescribed way becomes valid in the United Kingdom, and in the second place it becomes valid in other Colonies. By the first result the second great anomaly to which I have referred is removed.

Sixth Day. 25 April 1907.

Naturalization. (Mr. Herbert Gladstone.)