537

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his discretion so as co avoid, as far as possible, undesirable aliens from being naturalized. " (c.) Under the Draft Bill an absolute discretion to issue certificates of naturalization is given to the Secretary of State. It ought, however, to be made imperative that a certificate shall not be issued to a person who has been convicted of an offence for which a sentence of imprisonment has been passed without the option of a fine until he has received a free pardon, or until a period of five years has elapsed between the date of such conviction and the application for a certificate of naturalization. Provision is made in the draft Bill for cancelling certificates of naturalization obtained by false representation or fraud. If an applicant therefore, who has been convicted of any such offence as aforesaid, conceals such conviction in making his application for a certificate of naturalization, he runs the risk of having that certificate cancelled. " (n.) The draft Bill further provides that an applicant who applies for Letters of Naturalization must intend when naturalized to reside in His Majesty's Dominions. It would be better, if such intention is to be of any value at all, to limit future residence to the portion of His Majesty's Dominions in which the application is made. There may be evidence available to show that a person applying for a certificate of naturalization in New Zealand, s*ay, does not intend to reside there; it would be hopeless to expect to get evidence that he does not intend to reside in some portion or other of His Majesty's Dominions. " (c.) Clause 28 (a) of the Draft Bill provides that any person born in His Majesty's Dominions shall be deemed to be a natural born British subject. It is suggested that an exception should be made in the case of a person born in His Majesty's Dominions, but whose father was at the date of his birth an alien indentured labourer of non-European descent." Mr. GLADSTONE : Lord Elgin and gentlemen, may I observe that the memorandum which has just been read raises a number of points, but I think that a good many of them are dealt with in the statement which I made on the last occasion when this subject was under discussion. For example, with regard to criminals, I pointed out the practice which we adopt in this country with regard to the granting of certificates, and said that it would be quite easy to put into a Bill what, in effect, is our practice at the present time. On that point, I think it would entirely meet the case put forward under (c). lam not going through all the many points raised, but there is some misapprehension in parts of the memorandum as to the intention and meaning of the Bill. For instance, under (d) in the memorandum which has just been read, there is this : " if such intention is to be of any value at all, " to limit future residence to the portion of His Majesty's Dominions in which " the application is made." But that would defeat the very object of the proposal, because if a person in England, meaning to go to one of the Colonies, and perhaps not able to go for a month or a year, desires to have a certificate of naturalization, of course he cannot under the present law get that certificate of naturalization because he does not intend to reside in the United Kingdom. That is the condition of the law under which he would get his certificate. We desire to remove that restriction. We think the fact that a man who is in England now, not having a certificate, who desires to go to a Colony ought not to be debarred from getting a certificate by the mere reason that he desires to go to a Colony rather than

Fourteenth Day B May 1007.

\ VI I RALIZATION. (General Botha.)

69—A. 5.