A.—4.

276

Day.] Celebration op King's Birthday. [13 June, 1911. ______ . — - Sir WILFRID LAURIEE : If you make it Empire Day it will make uniformity of date. General BOTHA : I understand you have not put " Empire Day" in the resolution. Sir JOSEPH WARD : I suggest as a second resolution : " That in the opinion of the Imperial Conference it is desirable that Empire Day should be celebrated on the Monarch's birthday throughout the British Empire." Whenever the Monarch changes, the date of Empire Day would change. Why should we have the two days ? The 24th May and the 3rd June are too close, and in New Zealand we should certainly celebrate Empire Day on the 3rd June, but it is not desirable, in my opinion, to have one day in Canada and another day in South Africa. General BOTHA : I think the King's birthday should be the Empire Day. Sir JOSEPH WARD : It is not desirable to have a separate day, because it is an Empire movement, and it ought to be held on the same day in England and in our countries. I think we should make it the Monarch's birthday. The CHAIRMAN : But there is no official celebration of Empire Day here. Sir WILFRID LAURIER: In Canada we have a statute making Victoria Day a public holiday. Sir JOSEPH WARD : So have we. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : Therefore you will have to repeal that, and there may be some difficulty or objection raised. Sir JOSEPH WARD : Of course, if we cannot do it, it is a different thing. Mr. MALAN : We call the 24th May Victoria Day—that is the name of it. When the proposal was put forward to celebrate Victoria or Empire Day on the same date as the King's birthday, it was said " But then you destroy to a very large extent the usefulness of Empire or Victoria Day by not having the same day right through the Empire," and it is for that reason that if you are to have a day of that kind at all it must be on the same date, otherwise you destroy the usefulness of it. The CHAIRMAN : I do not venture to make any suggestion to the Dominions as to what they should do about Empire Day, because that is entirely their concern. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : We should not apply it as a legal holiday, but do as we did in the last reign, keep the King's birthday with nothing but a salute and an official dinner. The CHAIRMAN : If it is your desire. This is only really a declaration that the King's birthday shall be celebrated on the actual date of his birthday. Sir JOSEPH WARD : Yes ; I think we ought to carry that. The CHAIRMAN : I do not wish to go any further as to Empire Day. Mr. BATCHELOR : I think it ought to have the words " That it is desirable." The CHAIRMAN : I do not mind—" That it is desirable that the 3rd June," and so on. We may take that as carried. [Ag-beed.]