THE BRITISH COMMITTEE.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14147, 26 July 1916, Page 5

THE BRITISH COMMITTEE.

OMISSION OF DOMINION REPRE-

SENTATIVES

EXPLANATION BY MR ASQUITH

(lieuter's Telegrams.)

London, July 24

In the House of Commons, in reply to a series of questions regarding the representation of the Dominions on the c®mmittee to report on industrial and commercial policy after the war, Mr Asquith read a telegram sent by Mr Bonar Law to the Dominions in May, stating that the Government desired as soon as'practicable to convene an Imperial Conference to consider the coir.mercial policy to be adopted after' the war, intimating their intention prior to the conference to form a committee in England to discover whether an agreement among the British parties on the fiscal question was possible under the changed conditions caused' by the war and assuring the Dominions that the appointment of this committee, whatever the results, would not unduly delay the holding of the Imperial Conference or interfere with the .free discussion of the problems with the oversea representatives.

The Dominion Governments concurred, and. the Committee \\ as accordingly appointed.

Mr D. Macmaster said in view of the fact that the principle of the representation of the Dominions was l'ecognised at the Paris Conference, was it not possible in working out the details of the scheme that the Dominions should be represented?

Mr Asquith said that Mr Hughes went to the Paris Conference to represent the Empire, and not any particular dominion.