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Colonies, but with the assent of my colleagues, and I hope therefore that the Conference will give it at least as favourable consideration as possible. 1 do not propose nothing. I propose to do as much as I possibly can to meet the desire. It is quite true that this Office has grown considerably, and that the section of it which deals with responsible governments has not as yet been so clearly differentiated and defined as it may quite naturally seem reasonable now that it should be, but which everybody will understand was not at least as necessary in days gone by. I take considerable responsibility upon myself, but I am prepared to say that we will endeavour, I think we shall succeed, to so separate the departments of this Office that you will have in the office in the form which we shall present it to you, a distinct division dealing with the affairs of the responsibly governed Colonies. I will not say it will be exactly apart, because there is, and must be, at the head, at any rate, a connecting link between the several parts of any office, but there will be one division which you will feel will be concerned with the business of all the self-governing Colonies, and not directly with that of the Crown Colonies. That is what I aim at. Whether I can carry it out to-day or to-morrow, or at what particular time, I cannot promise. But if I can get any suggestions from any of the Prime Ministers here, with regard to any particular arrangements which could be made still further to meet their convenience we shall endeavour to carry them out. I should just like—and I hope in the most friendly manner possible— to a little demur to the " attitude " which I think was the word which Mr. Deakin attributes to us in this Office. I do not think if we were happy enough to have his assistance in the Office that he would find it really existed. Mr. DEAKIN : I should become official too. CHAIRMAN : At any rate that shows that the attitude has some attraction, but I do hope that he will believe that we have no wish to be dictatorial or to be uncivil or anything of that sort in the correspondence we carry on with the Colonies. Mr. DEAKIN : Too civil sometimes. CHAIRMAN : I would just point this out. Mr. Deakin said that there was a difference in the attitude of Canada, if he corresponded with Canada, to the attitude if he corresponded with us here. As long as we are all members of the Empire, I suppose the Imperial Government may on certain occasions have to use different expressions from others, but I assure Mr. Deakin that we do not wish to use them in any way to infringe the principle which the Prime Minister laid down, that is to say, the freedom and independence of the different governments which are parts of the Empire. I hope what I have said meets to a large extent what Sir Joseph Ward wishes. I should prefer not to omit the words from the resolution " under the direction of the Secretary of State for the Colonies," because it seems to me we ought to be fair and square in these matters. lam not in a position, speaking on behalf of His Majesty's Government, to offer more to this Conference than I have offered. I venture to say, as I did at the beginning, that I am offering a great advance on former practice, and I am quite aware that I am facing some difficulties in the matter, but I am prepared to go as far as I have indicated. With regard to what General Botha said, I should imagine that one of the results of the new arrangement that I have under contemplation would be to strengthen the getting of information, and the communication of information through the Agents-General or any other representatives of the Colonies. I do not think, just because there is the difficulty with regard

Third Day 18 April 1907.

Future Constitution of the Conference. (Chairman.)