SIR J. HANDLES (Cumberland, Cockermouth)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 1537 in view of his resolution carried at the Imperial Conference on 9th May, that an inquiry should be held to consider how far, and under what conditions, naturalisation in one part of His Majesty's dominions should be effective in other parts of those dominions, for which purposes a subsidiary conference was to be held if necessary, whether this inquiry could be extended to the consideration of the desirability of uniformity as far as practicable in the treatment of natural-born British subjects of Asiatic descent, who are much more numerous than naturalised aliens of Asiatic descent.
§ MR. GLADSTONEThe subject referred to at the end of the Question is, in my opinion—which is confirmed by that of my noble friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies, within whose jurisdiction it falls—outside the scope of any inquiry which could proceed from the resolution on the subject of naturalisation which was carried on my motion at the Imperial Conference.
§ SIR J. RANDLESasked whether the right hon. Gentleman acquiesced in the proposition that natural-born Asiatic subjects should be placed in an inferior position to that of Asiatics naturalised under the proceedings contemplated; and, if not, whether the right hon. Gentleman would make representations on the subject to the Minister affected, whether at the India Office or the Colonial Office.
§ MR. GLADSTONEI think that is a Question for my right hon. friend the Under-Secretary for the Colonies. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put it on the Paper.
§ MR. HART-DAVIES (Hackney, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is proposed to introduce the reduced scale of fees for naturalisation.
§ MR. GLADSTONEThere has been no decision to reduce the fee charged for the grant of a Certificate of Naturalisation.