A.—s

90

Fourth Day. 20 April 1907.

Mr. DEAKIN : " His Majesty's Government" in Canada means the Canadian Government. Dr. JAMESON: Why not "His Majesty's Government and His Governments of the self-governing Dominions " Mr. DEAKIN : Yes, that is an improvement Sir WILFRID LAURIER : I am satisfied with that. CHAIRMAN : And leave " His Majesty's Government." Mr. DEAKIN : Yes, substituting " His " for " the." CHAIRMAN : Next comes the words with regard to the Ministers. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : That satisfies me. Sir WILLIAM LYNE : I do not know what has been done in reference to that first paragraph which Sir Wilfrid Laurier read. There has been some alteration made and 1 could not catch it. CHAIRMAN : They are only verbal alterations. We have altered the first words into "A Conference to be called the Imperial Conference is held " instead of putting it in the plural, and we have made the words to run " as between His Majesty's Government and His Governments of the self- " governing Dominions beyond the seas," that is all. Then there is the addition " Such other Ministers as the respective Governments may appoint " will also be members of the Conference —it being understood that except " by special permission of the Conference each discussion will be conducted " by not more than two representatives from each Government and that each " Government will have only one vote " —is that agreed to? Sir WILFRID LAURIER : Clearly. CHAIRMAN : Now the second paragraph of the Resolution. Mr. DEAKIN : I have a suggestion to make in this paragraph. You were good enough to adopt throughout this Resolution the language submitted by one or other of the different states, and consequently it now reads : " That it is desirable to establish a system by which the several Governments " represented shall be kept informed during the periods between the Con- " ferences in regard to matters which have been or may be subjects for " discussion, by means of a permanent secretarial staff charged under the " direction of the Secretary of State for the Colonies," and so on. But the word " secretariat" was necessary, in order to make it quite clear that meaning that was attached to it when first brought forward. What is now intended is not a separate body, but a branch of the Colonial Office. On referring to your remarks, my Lord, I notice that you stated your intention was to separate the departments of this office. Y T ou will have a distinctdivision which will not be exactly apart in the department, but will be the one division concerned with the business of all the self-governing Colonies, and will not be directly concerned with that of the Crown Colonies. Ido not think that can be distinguished from the rest of the Colonial Office by being called a secretariat, because practically all your office is a secretariat. It is for you, my Lord, .to select the phrase which would best define your own intention, but as this stands, it appears to me that what is intended

Future Constitution of the Conference.