A.—4

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Bth Day.] Naturalisation. [13 June, 1911. Mr. CHURCHILL : I think it was really necessary to do it because of the objections that have been taken by the Government of South Africa ; they raised the constitutional point very strongly and, therefore, in trying to arrive at a general basis of agreement this morning, we put that in in order that every one should feel that we are not trying in this instance to do anything of the sort. Mr. FISHER : Theirs is the most recently prepared, and their constitution is all right. Sir JOHN SIMON : Would it not put it in a way which is not capable of misconstruction, Mr. Fisher, if our fourth proposition ran : " The Imperial Act should be so framed as to enable each self-governing Dominion to adopt it " ? The effect is exactly the same. Mr. FISHER : These are much better words. The CHAIRMAN : May I take it that we are agreed to these general propositions on which the Home Office and the Law Officers will proceed to frame a Bill to be submitted and discussed at the earliest possible moment. Mr. MALAN: We down here have heard it only once read, and I would like to hear it again. Mr. CHURCHILL : " That this Conference approves the scheme of Imperial citizenship, based on the following five propositions." I will send to each member of the Conference a typescript of this, and perhaps that will be the better course. The CHAIRMAN : But that will mean that we do not come to any decision on it now. Mr. CHURCHILL: I will read it now, and send a copy this evening: " (1) Imperial nationality should be world-wide and uniform, each Dominion being left free to grant local nationality on such terms as its Legislature thinks fit. (2) The Mother Country finds it necessary to maintain five years as a qualifying period. This is a safeguard to the Dominions as well as to us but five years anywhere in the Empire should be as good as five years in the United Kingdom. (3) The grant of nationality is in every case discretionary, and this discretion should be exercised by those responsible in the area in which the applicant has spent the last twelve months." Mr. MALAN : That would apply to the Imperial nationality as well as to the local nationality. I think you had better make that clear. Sir JOHN SIMON : We had better put in the word " Imperial." Mr. CHURCHILL : Yes. " The grant of Imperial nationality." Mr. MALAN : That is right. Mr. CHURCHILL : " (4) The Imperial Act should be so framed as to enable each self-governing Dominion to adopt it. (5) Nothing now proposed " (this again is not necessary, but only to make clear where we stand—it is only an aide memoire) " would affect the validity and effectiveness of local law regulating immigration and the like or differentiating between classes of British subjects." The CHAIRMAN : I think we can probably agree to this as instructions for the drafting of a Bill. Sir JOSEPH WARD : Yes, I think that is right. General BOTHA: Yes.