A.—sa

168

REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE.

Sir JOSEPH WARD : I suggest you hold the next in New Zealand. Sir WILLIAM LYNE : I suppose we have concluded our work. I don't think there is any objection to what I suggested, that we must protect ourselves as to catching these deserters. I presume there will be a Report of the Conference, and I should like to know what form it will take. The CHAIRMAN : I think we might meet informally at 3 o'clock and discuss that, and see if there is anything to be said about a Report.

Afternoon Session. The CHAIRMAN : Sir William Lyne had some questions to raise about the Report. He is not back yet, but I think we might, discuss the questions until he returns. What is the usual thing about reports': I think Mr. Cox can tell us what happened with the last Conference. Mb. COX : The Conference of the Naturalisation Committee is the only one I have experience of. What happened was that the members of the Conference made a tei the Office that convened it. I presume that this Conference would make a Report to the Board of Trade enclosing all the documents and materials. That is what usually happens. Mr. LLEWELLYN SMITH : In this case I think it would be simply a report, but not going into merits. The CHAIRMAN : What is the view of the Colonial delegates about the publishing the full shorthand notes ? Hon. W. M. HUGHES: My opinion ie this, that it will be a mistake not to publish them. This is the first Conference. The CHAIRMAN: In that case each delegate ought to be allowed to correct his remarks. What is the feeling of the shipping delegates about publishing the full shorthand notes of the proceedings ? Mr. NORMAN HILL: We will leave it entirely iii your hands. The CHATRMAN : You do not object to them being published ? Mr. NORMAN HILL : No. Mr. LLEWELLYN SMITH : We can get all the corrections in from the Australian and New Zealand delegates before they leave this country. We shall not have to send anything to them out there. The CHAIRMAN : I think they will have to be corrected under Hansard rules. The chief of Hansard allows corrections, but he won't allow an addition or interpolation of a substantial kind. He won't allow a material alteration in the Report. Hon. DUGALD THOMSON : This might be a material alteration. For instance, I just glanced at some copy that has gone out already, and I was represented as saying "Yes" to the question of publishing daily re-

ports in the press of the full proceedings. If I said anything T said " No." Perhaps somebody else said " Yes." Tin: CHAIRMAN : We should not be allowed to put a whole new speech in or anything of that sort. Hon. W. M. HUGHES: What we do in the Eederal Parliament is, that corrections are subject entirely to the discretion of the chief of Hansard. If you make an alteration and he does not think it permissible he simply disallows it and there's an end of it. The CHAIRMAN : That is what I mean. It ought to be under Hansard rules. Mr. HAVELOCK WILSON : There is one correction I should like to have made, Mr. President. I understood that Mr. MacKay did represent the India Office; am I right in believing that this Mr. MacKay is one of the Directors of the British India Steamship Company? Mr. PEMBROKE : He is Sir -lames MacKay. Mn. HAVELOCK WILSON: If that is so I should like to have it stated in the Report that he is a director. The CHAIRMAN : He did not conceal anything. He talked about his own ships in the course of his speech and it is perfectly well known. Mi:. HAVELOCK WILSON: I did not know until afterwards, or otherwise I should have said something more. The CHAIRMAN : Perhaps it is a very good thing you did not know. \in. HAVELOCK WILSON : I thought the gentleman was representing the Indian Office. Mr. LLEWELLYN SMITH : He is on the India Council. He was sent to us by the Secretary of State for India. Mr. lIAVKI.OCK WILSON : But I can quite understand Sir .lames MacKay taking a very strong lead on the Lascar question, when he is a director of one of the companies. If that can be put in, that will satisfy me. The CHAIRMAN : I am very glad Sir William Lyne has returned before we disperse. We have been discussing the question of a Report, and the decision we came to was this : a full shorthand note of the proceedings has been taken and that will be published; each delegate will be supplied with a copy of what he said ; he will be allowed to correct it under Hansard rules, and then the whole thing will be published in the form of a Blue Book. Sir WILLI A A! LYNE : Will you publish it as it was taken in shorthand ? The CHAIRMAN : Yes. The full shorthand notes. That is the decision we came to. Does not that meet your view ? Sir WILLTAM LYNE : Yes. The CHAIRMAN : Subject to correction under Hansard rules.