CONFERENCE ENDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1160, 22 June 1911, Page 5

CONFERENCE ENDS.

«. VALEDICTORY SPEECHES. A LANDMARK IN IMPERIAL HISTORY. MR. ASQUITH SUMS DP. By Teloeraph-Press Assoclation-Oopyriel" (Kcc. June 22, 0.30 a.m.) i London, Juno 21. j Mr. Asquith presided at tlie scssion of the Conference. Mr. risher, Prime Minister of Australia, moved in the direction of securing reciprocal visits by British and Doimnion Ministers to the various parts of the Empire. He also desired that the next Conference should bo held overseas. The question of reciprocal visits was Asquith intimated that he would endeavour to afford an opportunity for one or more of his colleagues to accede to Mr. Fisher's wishes. •> With regard to the other proposal, Mr. Asquith said he doubted the utility of holding meetings of the Conference abroad. Under the present method, all the Departments and records in London wero at the Conference's disposal. Mr. Fisher said he believed the Conference would eventually meet more frequently than every four years. Ho would amend his motion so as to ask the Governlent to consider the possibility of a Consrenco or a subsidiary Conference being ield overseas. The amended motion was adopted. Sir -Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of !anada, expressed his gratitude at the lanner in which Mr. Asquith and Mr. larcourt had carried out tho labours f tho Conference. The heaviest rork fell on Mr. Harcourt, and ho (loir cd to proclaim the Conference's ap-. ireciation of the kindness of the King s linisters and tho people. Sir Joseph Ward endorsed Sir Wilfrid ,aurier's remarks, and eulogised Mr. Lsquith for devoting so much of his time a presiding. He also appreciatively reerred to the services of tho Colonial )ffice officials. The Conference had acomplished a vast amount of good, eslecially on the matter of defence. No irevious Conference had done more valu,hle work. General Botha, Prime Minister of louth Africa, declared that tho present Jonference had called into life a friendship leading to abetter co-operation in the future than they had ever had before. Mr. Fisher said he believed tho Conference's work lay on foundations broader and safer than had hitherto existed. In tho past they had negotiated with tho Motherland at the portals, but now they were in her inner councils. Ho felt sure the pwple overseas whom they represented would welcome the step that had been taken. He asked the people not to be too anxious to know all that had been said by the responsible men, here to those responsible in tho Dominions, but 'o rest content with the assurance that he King's advisers were doing their best n the interest of every subject. WHAT THE CONFERENCE HAS DONE. Mr. Asquith, in thanking the Prime Ministers for their expressions of satisaction and goodwill, said he, was conident that the presidency 'tho"'Conferince would be regarded in the future as ine of the obvious... and :most..imgortant luties of 'tte"-"Snm'o* Minister. - ' -I'he lominant note of the Conference was the ittempt to promote and develop closer :o-operation through free and frank dis:ussion.- ' The value* of the Conference, ind its permanent results, must not bo iudged entirely by the actual proposals idopted. Even in that respect, however, ,t need not fear comparison with its preiecessors. They had cleared the air and :leared the ground, and had got a better mutual understanding and a truer perspective and proportion of Imperial problems. The Veil Lifted. The Conference was significant in respect of the admission of the Dominions into the innermost part of the Imperial household, where secrets had been laid bare and not reservedly. He believet that after Sir Edward Grey's expositor they all realised in a more intimate sens< tho international position' and its bear ings upon the problems of government throughout the Empire. Under the sami veil of confidence, questions of militarj and naval co-operation had been deal with in such a way that, while recognis ing their common obligations, they ac knowledged with equal clearness tha' those obligations must be performed ii different parts of the Empire, in accord anco with local needs, local opinions, anc local circumstances. They could no take the world or even their fellow citizens into their confidence, but if th< Conference had, done nothing else, thesi things would bo a landmark in,tho de velopment of Imperial constitutional his tory. An Important Achievement. Mr. Asquith then -recapitulated thi work done, and attached much import ance to what they had agreed with re gard to an Imperial Court of Appeal The Dominions hod well-founded criti cisms, and he believed they wouli shortly secure a tribunal possessing th unanimous confidence of the Empire They would all return to their Tespectiv spheres with a stronger senso of thei common obligations, a more complcto con fidenco in ono another, and a moro earn est determination to work for the goo< of tho whole Empire. Mr. Harcourt, Secretary for the Color ies, also thanked the Conference. SHIPPING LAWS. A MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION. Th© official precis was issued last nigh of tlie debate on Monday of Sir Josep Ward's motion:— "That the self-governing Oversea Dominions have now reached a stage of development when they should bo entrusted with wider legislative powers in respect of British and foreign shipping." Mr, Buxton, President or tho Board < Trade, in his contribution to the di cussion, said the principle underlying tl present merchant shipping legislatio was fairly plain and simple. Broad] speaking tho law ruling a ship was tl code of tho country of registration. Ihi code followed the vessel round the worli but was modified by tho Dominion powers to regulato thoir own coastii trade. Sir Joseph Ward's proposal wi wido and vague, and it might in vol l serious consequences to trade if Brit is ships trading between various Dominioi wero subjected to stringent and differii codes. A Dominion's conditions con not be so effectively enforced against fo eignors as against Britishers, and hen the result would be a discrimination whii would be to the disadvantage of the Bi tisher. If tho Dominion did enforce su< conditions against foreigners, retaliate would ensue, the brunt of which wou on the United Kingdom's shippin As Britain itas the world's carrier, i trade was vulnerable to reprisals. A co siderable uniformity in the oversea me

cantilo marine already obtained, and Hie Government would strive to extend rather than to curtail that uniformity. lie hoped Sir Joseph AVard would not prcs3 his motion. New Zealand Not Contont. Sir Joseph Ward declared that something in tho nature of his proposal was necessary to enable New Zealand to sustain tho labour conditions its pcoplo required. Ho must therefore decline to ffiSifiraw tho motion. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada, considered it desirable that the position should be made clear. Mr. Brodeur, Canadian Minister for Marine, recited eases where Canada's legislative action had been seriously curtailed by tho repeal of Imperial Acts on which Canadian legislation had been based. Senator Pearce, Australian Minister for Defence, claimed that tho Commonwealth's Constitution gave it power of legislating on the subject. Sir Joseph Ward said the wording of New Zoaland Constitution was substantially similar to the Commonwealth's, yet the Royal Assent had been withheld from its legislation. Mr. Harcourt intimated that the British Government would abstain from voting. General Botha, Prime Minister of South Africa, considered that South Africa already possessed the power sought. Canada and New Zealand supported the motion, while Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, and. Newfoundland abstained from voting. MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. ALIEN IMMIGRATION. It was decided to refer Sir Joseph Ward's'motion— "That it is desirable that -there shall be more uniformity in the alien immigration exclusion laws throughout the Empire" to the Royal Commission which it was previously resolved to set up on the motion of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Commercial Awards. Sir Rufus Isaacs, Attorney-General, reported that a committee Lad considered the possibility of the enforcement of commercial arbitration awards. He moved that in order to carry out-its conclusions the Imperial Government and the Dominions should concertedly consider whether it is desirable, and to what extent practicable, mutually to 'enforoe tho judgments of other Imperial Courts, including commercial awards. The motion was agreed to, Suez Canal Dues. Mr. Fisher, speaking with regard to the Suez .Canal, said that unless the charges were lowered, it might be the duty of the Commonwealth to try to find relief in another direction. Mr. M'Kinnon Wood, Under-Secretary to tho Foreign Office, sa:.d he sympathised with Mr. Fisher's point of view, but wished to state that the Government had always regarded shipping interests as more important than the shareholders' interests, and had not allowed the latter consideration to deter it from pressing for reductions. Sir Joseph Ward supported Mr. Fisher. Publication of Report. The Prime Minister announced in tho House of Commons that the proceedings of the Imperial Conference would be published as soon as' possible. IMPERIALISM AND PEACE, • THE.PREFERENCE CONTROVERSY. London, June 20. The National 'Liberal Club gave a luncheon to the overseas Ministers. There were 450 guests present. Lord Carrington, President of the Board of Agriculture, presided. Lord Haldane, Secretary of State for War, said the Empire owed a good deal in connection with the Imperial Conference to the vicissitudes of party government making prominent new aspects of Imperial affairs. The preference controversy had set people thinking ' about alternatives. Mr. Fisher, Prime Minister of Australia, replying to the toast "Our Guests," asked why Britain should not reach out an inviting hand to other enlightened nations, particularly America, who would co-operate, so that they might say to those wishing to disturb the peace of the world: —"You shall not do it!" Ho welcomed Lord Haldano's suggestion that tho Conference might be held away from London, and added:—"A little might bo learned from Australia, since the colonies arc more familiar with Britain than Britain is with the colonies." , Sir Joseph Ward also responded to tho , toast. . PARLIAMENTARY DINNER. | SPEECH BY MR. R. H. RHODES. London, June 20. At a dinner to the oversea Parliamentarians, Mr. R. 11. Rhodes, M.P. for Ellesmere (New Zealand), responding to the toast, "Our Guests/' said that when | representatives of the Dominions, as backwoodsmen, returned to the bush and wielded the axe or mustered flocks, they would look back kindly to that gathering within those ancient walls. Lord Rose- | bery's eloquence rang in their ears. They had come to pay allegiance to the J King, who was no stranger to them; . His Majesty was known throughout tho Empire as no British Sovereign had ever been known before. They in the DoI minions looked forward to welcoming the Prince of Wales, when, following in his father's- footsteps, he set out to tread tho path of Empire. (Cheers.) Throughout the Dominions it was recognised that the Motherland had demanded nothing of them in tho past, but had given them protection, and had mado enormous sacrifices for them, and that though, under her protection, they had blossomed forth as young nations, they had no dosire to become separate nations. (Cheers.' They realised fully what their fate was in such circumstances, and their desirt was'rather to draw tighter tho bonds ol Empire. Sir Joseph Ward's schemo foi an Imperial Council had not been adopt ed. Perhaps it was premature, but surelj it was not too high an ideal to aim at (Cheers.) >- The Dominions, continued Mr. Rhodes e were bound to share the burdens of Em i pirc. They felt that in doing so the; y must have a voice in the settlement o n foreign questions affecting the Empire' t destinies. Lord Rosebery had asked wha '> the Dominions' message to the Mothe s Country was. He ventured to formulat S this reply:— 3 "We desire not to bo shareholders ® in the great company of Empire, but partners." g Mr. Molteno, Speaker of the South Afri (1 can Parliament, emphasised tho entire ah r- sence of election petitions in South Afric." ;e and the pcrffct smoothness of a streni h ous Parliamentary session. Racialism wn i- a thing of tho past. Tho best form c h patriotism for the Dominions was thn n each should keep its own ho'uso in ordei i and make its own corner of the Empii ?• strong. The strength of tho individui ts parts was the strength of tho whole. Tht 3 " being so, he thought South Africa ha r " won the Empire's confidence, (Cheers.)