Naturalisation Rush In New
p. 48 · Read in the full issue
Guinea
IN the Papua-New Guinea Gazette of January 8, 20 aliens gave notice of intention to apply for Australian citizenship. These are all missionaries— Dutch, German and French born—but just a sample of those non-British resi dents of the New Guinea territory whoi have sought citizen rights in the last few years.
Many of these folk have resided be tween 20 and 40 years in the Territory..
While New Guinea was a Mandate, they were unable to qualify for naturalisation..
This prohibition was removed in recent: years.
Most of the missionaries, however, who; left their Continental homelands, for life to work in the mission fields of the Pacific, probably felt they were above nationality. It might be wondered why, after having served say 46 years in New, Guinea without benefit of Australian citizenship, it might be regarded as im portant to acquire it now.
The layman’s case was somewhat different. A number of German residents of New Guinea, either because they did not want to, or could not, become naturalised Britishers, spent not one but two periods of internment in Australia— during both World Wars.
Mrs. E. O. Newton Daly, of Ba, Fiji with her daughter, Angela, was visiting her parents in Sydney in February.