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meetings. lam not quite sure what the hours were on the occasion of the previous Conferences. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : From 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock. CHAIRMAN : And not in the afternoon ' Sir WILFRID LAURIER : No. CHAIRMAN : I think we might meet at 11 o'clock and sit till halfpast 1 on the understanding that if on any occasion there was a necessity for it we could arrange to sit in the afternoon. It appears to me that if the Conference meets in the morning, a good deal of business connected with the Conference can be got through in the afternoon separately, and in this I think Mr. Deakin agrees because there might be smaller meetings in the afternoon. Sir JOSEPH WARD : I am sure we would fall in with any arrangements as to the sittings so long as we have enough time while we are here to get through the work. Sir WILFRID LAURIER :We will leave it in that way. Whenever the Conference wishes to meet we are ready to be here. CHAIRMAN : Then we will try it this week, sitting from 11 to halfpast 1 on Wednesday and Thursday. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : There is a question as to the attendance of the gentlemen w T ho are with the Prime Ministers and the colleagues of Prime Ministers. I should like to have my two colleagues present with me at the Conference. It would be a great convenience to them and to me, at all events, and I suppose also to Mr. Deakin, to have the benefit of the presence of our colleagues. Mr. DEAKIN : Certainly. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : Is there any objection to that? Mr. DEAKTN : Does not it follow from the principle which the Prime Minister laid down to-day, that this was a consultation of governments with governments. Although it is a case of one government one vote, it is immaterial how many members of that government come so long as the Prime Minister of each State is the responsible spokesman who calls upon his colleagues when he desires their assistance. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : You have expressed my own opinion on the point. CHAIRMAN: May I explain my position in this matter? When I received the despatch from Canada asking that the Ministers who came from Canada should be treated as members of the Conference, I naturally referred to the proceedings of the last Conference, and I found that it had been distinctly ruled that the Conference was a Conference between the Prime Ministers and the Secretary of State. This particular question of the admission of other Ministers was taken exception to at the last Conference, not by

First Day. 15 April 1907

AIiRANCEMENT OF KI'SINESS. (< Ihairman.)