A.— %

6

Whereas by Commissions under our Sign-manual and Signet bearing date the fifteenth day of April, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, the fifth day of July, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, the thirty-first day of August, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, the fifteenth day of November, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, and the seventeenth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and twelve, We were pleased to authorize and appoint certain persons therein respectively named, or any five or more of them, to be our Commissioners to inquire into and report upon the natural resources of our Dominion of Canada, our Commonwealth of Australia, our Dominion of New Zealand, our Union of South Africa, and our Colony of Newfoundland ; and, further, to report upon the development of such resources, whether attained or attainable ; upon the facilities which exist or may be created for the production, manufacture, and distribution of all articles of commerce in those parts of our Empire ; upon the requirements of each such part and of our United Kingdom in the matter of food and raw materials and the available sources of such ; upon the trade of each such part of our Empire with the other parts, with our United Kingdom, and with the rest of the world ; upon the extent, if any, to which the mutual trade of the several parts of our Empire has been or is being affected beneficially or otherwise by the laws now in force, other than fiscal laws ; and, generally, to suggest any methods, consistent always with the existing fiscal policy of each part of our Empire, by which the trade of each part with the others and with our United Kingdom may be improved and extended : And whereas We have deemed it expedient that any three or more of our said Commissioners when visiting places outside our United Kingdom should be authorized to exercise the powers and privileges conferred as aforesaid on any five or more of our said Commissoners : Now know ye that We, being advised that a new Commission should issue for this purpose, have revoked and determined, and do by these presents revoke and determine without prejudice to anything lawfully done thereunder, the above-recited Commissions and every matter and thing therein contained. And We, reposing great trust and confidence in your knowledge and ability, do by these presents authorize and appoint you, the said Sir Edgar Vincent, Sir Henry Eider Haggard, Tom Garnett, William Lorimer, Joseph Tatlow, Sir Alfred Edmund Bateman, George Eulas Foster, Donald Campbell, John Kobert Sinclair, Sir Richard Solomon, and Edgar Rennie Bowring, to be our Commissioners for the purposes of the said inquiry : And for the better effecting the purposes of this our Commission, We do by these presents give and grant unto you, or any five or more of you, full power to call before you such persons as you shall judge likely to afford you any information upon the subject of this our Commission ; and also to call for, have access to, and examine all such books, documents, registers, and records as may afford you the fullest information on the subject, and to inquire of and concerning the premises by all other lawftil ways and means whatsoever : And We do by these presents authorize and empower you, or any five or more of you, to visit and personally inspect such places as you may deem it expedient so to inspect for the more effectual carrying-out of the purposes aforesaid : Provided that should you deem it expedient in the execution of this our Commission to visit places outside our United Kingdom, then the powers and privileges hereby conferred on any five or more of you shall belong to and be exercised by any three or more of you : And We do by these presents will and ordain that this our Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and that you, our said Commissioners, or any five or more of you, may from time to time proceed in the execution thereof and of every matter and thing therein contained, although the same be not continued from time to time by adjournment: And We do further ordain that you, or any five or more of you, have liberty to report your proceedings under this our Commission from time to time if you shall judge it expedient so to do : And our further will and pleasure is that you do, with as little delay as possible, report to Us, under your hands and seals, or under the hands and seals of any five or more of you, your opinion upon the matters herein submitted for your consideration. And for the purpose of aiding you in your inquiries, We hereby appoint Edward John Harding, Esquire, Master of Arts, to be Secretary to this our Commission. Given at our Court at Saint James's, this twenty-fourth day of February, one thousand nine hundred and thirteen, in the third year,of our reign. By His Majesty's command, L. Harcourt.

No. 5. New Zealand, No. 91. My Lord,— Downing Street, 28th February, 1913. I have the honour to transmit to you the accompanying list of countries not represented at the Hague Opium Conference, showing the Governments which have signed the protocol referred to in Article 22 of the Opium Convention and those Governments which have as yet not signed. 2. I also enclose a copy of a letter from the Foreign Office with regard to the appointment of delegates for the purposes of Article 23 of the Convention.