A.—s

92

Fourth Day. •ill April 1907.

Mr. DEAKIN : It is for Lord Elgin to consider. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : I do not care how it is expressed so long as it is on Ministerial responsibility. That is the only thing I attach importance to. Sir JOSEPH WARD : The point raised by Mr. Deakin is quite a clear one, and no doubt it would jJi'obably more correctly indicate what the actual decision is, but 1 have a preference for indicating a permanent secretarial staff. Mr. DEAKIN : If you appeal to me on the ground of preference, I am bound to agree. Sir JOSEPH WARD : Upon that ground I assume you will vote for it as it is. Mr. DEAKIN : I will. CHAIRMAN : Then it will stand as it is. Mr. DEAKIN : Yes. CHAIRMAN : Then we pass the second paragraph. The third paragraph we hope we have put into shape as regards words. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : That will be the fourth paragraph now ? CHAIRMAN : Yes. The paragraph is " That upon matters of im- " portance, requiring consultation between two or more Governments, which ' cannot conveniently be postponed until the next Conference, or involving " subjects of a minor character or such as call for detailed consideration, " subsidiary conferences should be held between representatives of the Go- " vernments concerned, specially chosen for the purpose." Mr. DEAKIN : The only suggestion I have there is that in the last line, instead of " the Governments concerned," which seems to point only to such of the Governments as are named in the first sentence, including only the larger self-governing States such as Canada and Australia, it might be well to substitute the word " any " for the word " the " —" any Governments concerned "■—in order to cover the introduction of matters which are purely Provincial in Canada, or purely State in Australia, or a mixture of both. This would plainly indicate that it was in contemplation that members of both classes of Governments might, if necessary, take part in the subsidiary conferences when the subjects with which those conferences were dealing were wholly or chiefly within the domain of either State or Provincial Governments. The federal and local governments might both be represented when dealing with special subjects when they were within the constitutional powers of both sets of Governments. Sir JOSEPH WARD : I think that ought to be done. I am just a little in doubt as to the intention of the word " chosen," always assuming, in the ordinary practical working of the respective Governments of the several countries, that Canada and Australia desire to have a conference upon an important matter, this Resolution rather supposed they would have to be chosen by probably all the members of the Conference.

I'l TUB] Constitution ol THE Conference.