344

A.—s

Russians (Mr. Deakin :or Italians or Spaniards), as you now treat us. You treat us as though we were aliens, and the speech I listened to this morning makes me think we have little chance of any alteration. Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : We give you the lowest rate, much lower than Spain or Portugal Sir WILLIAM LYNE : How much is it'! Mr. DEAKIN : Are you not hoping to make commercial treaties with other nations? Why not make commercial treaties with your own Dominions? Mr. LLOYD GEORGE : 'Thai is a question which is entirely open. Sir WILLIAM LYNE : 1 thank the Conference for listening to me for so long, but I felt I had to place on record my views, because this is an historical Conference I think, and will be known as an historical Conference, and I certainly hope it is not going to stop here—that the Government will see their way clear to meet us in some way or other and show to our people that we are not those aliens which the treatment we receive seems to indicate. Adding just a word with regard to what Sir Joseph Ward said the other day I do hope that some means will be adopted to shorten the time between Australia and New Zealand and Great Britain. In that to my mind, or on that hangs a great deal. We cannot shorten the distance, but if money can eniicken the time and bring your people to us and our people to you, as our railways did'before federation, and they brought about federation in Australia it will do an immense amount of good. I have spoken to my Prime Minister on this more than once. You talk about emigration : I cannot see that it is going to be very successful at present, but spend your money, even it it amounts to half a million annually, in giving cheap and quick communication and we will soon have plenty of emigrants, also have our people amongst you, and yours amongst us. Dr SMARTT ■ After the full, exhaustive, and I might almost say the forcible manner in which this subject has been discussed, it really leaves very little further for any member of the Conference to say, and I feel that all the more, Lord Elgin! after the very able and clever speech to which we have listened from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, because without desirino- in any wav to appear to criticise that extremely able statement from his point of view, I, as a member of the Conference, and one taking a deep interest in trying to arrive at some solution of binding more closely together the different portions of the British Empire, could not help feeling that that sneech, clever as it was, was a brilliant example of special pleading. It was a' speech which, perhaps, might have been admirably delivered m support of the doctrine of Free Trade as against any controversion of that doctrine, but I must say T did look for some more sympathetic desire, while maintaining the eloctrine of Free Trade (with which we, as members of this Conference, do not want in any way whatsoever to interfere) to try and arrive at some arrangement whereby the differences which separate us might be bridged over instead of meeting us with the proposition that it was absolutely and entirely impossible. , I can only say, Lord Elgin, that looking round the table and seeing the Other members of the Government, we may, perhaps, get from them a still

Tenth Day. 2 May I'"'7.

Preferenti \i. Trade. (Sir W. I.yn.-.)