A.—s

14

me to be present, and that is much more the sentiment which I entertain than the idea that I have done any favour to the Conference by coming. It has been an unmixed pleasure for me to be here, and personally, individually, to give my official countenance to it. My whole object will be to do all I can to further the interests of the Conference, to help in bringing it through a successful career, in the hope that it may make a lasting impression upon the great questions which you have to discuss. (The Ministers of the Crown having retired, the Conference then proceeded with its business in Committee.)

Lord ELGIN in the Chair. CHAIRMAN : An amended agenda paper has been circulated, but I am afraid even that will have 1o be taken subject to amendments again. Before we get to the actual agenda, may 1 just say that, with regard to the days of meeting, we have arranged, as you will see, for three or four days in a week, but not always regularly the same days. That follows the precedent of former Conferences, in which, though they had certain days at which they aimed at, they were not able, owing to various other engagements which the members of the Conference had to fulfil, to keep invariably to those days. There is another cause for variation, namely, Cabinet meetings, which T and my colleagues arc obliged to attend. During the last Conference there was, I believe, a fixed day in the week on which the Cabinet meeting was generally held. Owing to circumstances that arrangement does not prevail so regularly now, and I shall be obliged, 1 am afraid, to ask the Conference to allow me to be absent from time to time without fixing a regular day; hut I have spoken to the Prime Minister, and, as far as possible, he will endeavour to avoid inconveniencing the Conference in that respect. From a study of the proceedings at the last Conference, though they may have had, and I daresay, did have, an agenda paper something like this indicating the days, in general, the practice was —Sir Wilfrid Laurier will correct me if I am wrong —to fix finally at one meeting the business that was to be taken at the next, or the next following meeting, without too great an adherence to the general scheme. That, I think, was the practice, and, as far as the Colonial members are concerned, it probably will be as convenient for them, as il is almost necessary for us. We can take this agenda, therefore, as a general scheme; and it will be understood that it does not follow that the particular subject put down for April 25th will be the subject which is then dealt with, but we will settle far enough ahead, so that everybody may be ready, the subjects to be taken in their order. As regards the business for Friday of this week, I should have to ask for an alteration, and it is proposed to sit on Saturday instead of Friday. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : I may say that I have fixed several engagements for Saturday. The next meeting of the Conference is on Wednesday and I suppose that is satisfactory to all. CHAIRMAN : On Wednesday and Thursday we can hold meetings for discussion; but on Friday I am afraid we cannot meet as there is a Cabinet Council. The First Lord'of the Admiralty is also engaged on Friday and Saturday. The next thing to arrange is with regard to the time of the

First Day 15 April 1907.

(Sir H. Campbell-' Bannerman.)

Arha\<;kmk\ i of Business.