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" may for the time being be entitled to be called to the Bar should be " favourably considered." I think, if I take their own words that should be acceptable. Sir WILLIAM ROBSON : We have not that resolution before us. Sir JOSEPH WARD : I move that. Sir WILLIAM ROBSON : I do not think you are following this proposal. This suggestion of Sir Henry Lawrence is that: " any proposal for "facilitating the call to the English Bar of Barristers, in any Colony or " Dependency, upon terms analogous to those upon which English solicitors " may for the time being be entitled to be called to the Bar should be favour- " ably considered." That is putting the Colonial upon the same footing as an English solicitor, but I rather understood your suggestion, Sir Joseph, to be that if you make provisions in the Colony, of the same kind as those which are applicable to English solicitors, then the Colonial solicitor, without submitting to the terms imposed upon an English solicitor here, by virtue of his admission in New 7 Zealand, would thereupon become entitled to admission of the Bar of England. That is rather a different proposal to Sir Henry Lawrence's. Sir JOSEPH WARD : The wording of Sir Henry Lawrence's second paragraph does not quite bear that out, if I may be allowed to say so; he says : " The Committee recommend that provided it is satisfactorily " established that the qualifications for admission as a barrister in any " Colony are equivalent to those in this country, any proposal for facilitating " the call to English Bar of Barristers in any Colony or Dependency upon " terms analogous to those upon which English solicitors may for the time " being be entitled to be called to the Bar should be favourably considered." It does not say, as you suggest now, that if they have established the fact that their qualifications for admission as a barrister in any Colony are beyond all question, they should come home again and undergo a further examination. He says : " provided it is established." There would "be somebody on their behalf who would ascertain beyond all question that they were entitled to admission. It would not give a general right to anybody to come home and be entitled to admission here. I think, wdth that preface to my resolution, it might be, without any difficulties, accepted. Mr. DEAKIN : My position is precisely that of the Prime Minister of Canada; the Commonwealth, as such, has no jurisdiction over any portion of the Bar, except that portion which practises in the Commonwealth Court. But in the various States of Australia the qualifications for the Bar differ a good deal. In most of the States it is possible for a practitioner to be at the same time a barrister and a solicitor, although in practice in certain states, even where that exists, thetwo are divided except in country towns; but in New South Wales the English practice still exists, and the two branches of the profession are separate. The standards, so far as lam acquainted with the English, are very fairly high; in fact, owing to a rather curious conjunction of circumstances, when the professions were amalgamated in Victoria, the standard adopted was that previously in force in respect to the Bar. I believe that every practitioner in Victoria now qualifies himself for what is very nearly the degree of LL.B. before he is admitted as a barrister. The standard of a year or two ago, and I am not aware of any change since, was very high. Ido not think Sir William Robson objects to any of the proposals for reciprocity, providing that the authorities here are satisfied that the training, the probation, and the tests are fairly equal.

Thirteenth Day. s May 19*7.

Reciprocity as ki Barristers. (Sir Joseph Ward.)

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