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Mr. DEAKIN : This is not a question of organisation. CHAIRMAN : It is really a question of organisation as to what part of the business is to come through this secretariat in this office, or what part may go through the Board of Trade. I have undertaken the organisation of the secretariat. — Mr. DEAKIN : I do not think that is an answer. Mr. WINSTON CHURCH ILL . Has not this Resolution now proposed already been passed by the Conference on the day we discussed the organisation of the Conference —to have conferences on matters of common interest every four years, and subsidiary conferences held as often as necessary between any parties interested in inter-Imperial or inter-Colonial questions \ In what way does this Resolution advance upon any proposal which the Conference has already decided '. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : I would not press your motion to-day, but have something more concrete than that. With regard to the motion made by Mr. Deakin, with all due respect to the earnestness with which he has pressed it, it seems to me an absolute departure from constitutional government. If there is anything which is true in constitutional British Government it is this that you do not provide money in advance for anything. Your proposal is to create a general fund and then you find how you are to apply if afterwards. If there is an object to be served, or work to be done, or something of the kind which requires money, then we find the money; but your scheme proposes that we should find the money in advance. That seems to me an absolute departure from constitutional government. Where can you find a precedent for it \ Where is it consistent? Call it a duty or a tax, after all it is money taken out of the people's pocket, and you do it for a vague indefinite object. That is absolutely contrary to constitutional government. If there is anything true, it is that you do not take money from the people except for a special object, and I object to your motion on this ground. lam not quite satisfied with the motion of Mr. Lloyd George as it is very indeterminate, and commits us to nothing. I hope before we separate we can find an actual scheme on which we can ask the contribution of the British Government, and all or some of the Governments here represented—some big scheme of communication amongst ourselves. This is what you have in mind, yourself, Mr. Deakin. Therefore, I think you should not propose the motion to-day. . Mr. DEAKIN : I take the proposed resolution of the President of the Board of Trade as being drafted with the idea that instead of allowing this matter to drop we should pass something and show that something progressive is really intended. I quite agree that was the motive, and appreciate it; but at the same time it is open to the criticism which I myself was leading up to, that such a plan involves consideration of the secretariat and the nature of the secretariat, and of subsidiary Conferences. Consequently Ido not press for passing a resolution at all. What I want to get, if I can, before we leave, is a decision of this Conference on the question : Is it not possible to do something more in the future than we have ever done, in the way of providing for practical business-like proposals making for Imperial co-opera-tion and unity of action being dealt with in a business-like way ? Mr. Lloyd George says very properly that, according to his revision of my resolution, what may be termed a special meeting or subsidiary Conference of experts will enable us to deal with them. That is quite true and helpful. Is that the furthest limit to which we can go? So far from thinking myself the person specially endowed with ideas on this subject, I broached it in order to obtain the assistance of others, in the expectation that they would provide out of

Fourteenth Day. it May I'HIT.

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