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Minister of this country direct. The number of despatches from the selfgoverning portions of the Empire is, I think, comparatively small and would require only a small office. Their communications of a regular character, exchanging information, and so on, are frequent. The Prime Minister's attention would be rarely called for, but at present we suffer, and suffer constantly, because ninety-nine hundredths of the time and attention and ability of this office must necessarily be devoted to the enormous area, the immense population, and the innumerable problems which surround its administration of different communities scattered all over the world. It appears to me that it would be for the advantage of the Colonial Office, and it would be to our advantage, if we were dissociated altogether from the Dependencies which are governed, and admirably governed, if T may say so, from this office. Taking the communities that undertake to govern themselves, from which the despatches are rare and which require very much less attention, it would be to their advantage to be associated,- as I am daring enough to suggest, with the Prime Minister himself, who I understand, although his responsibilities are almost beyond description, is not burdened with much administrative work at the present time. I did not intend to enter upon that now, but as you asked me, Sir Wilfrid, I have answered your inquiry. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : I think it is important in the discussion. When this subject was first put to the Colonial Governments by the despatch of Mr. Lyttelton, the suggestion was that an Imperial Council should be created; and, as we understood it in Canada, it meant this —and I think that was the thought that Mr. Lyttelton had in his mind at the time—that the Council should be composed of the members of the present Conference or of the Conferences which have taken place up to this date, that is to say, of the Prime Ministers of all the self-governing Colonies, assisted by a permanent body to sit here in the City of London, similar to the Imperial Defence Committee. If that idea had been accepted, that there should be here a permanent Imperial Civil Committee instead of an Imperial Defence Committee, the title " Imperial Council," I think, would have been appropriate. We demurred at once in Canada to the idea of creating such a committee as was suggested, but we thought it preferable to keep the Conferences to their present composition, without any more power than they have at the present time; and therefore we suggested that the name "Conference" should be retained, substituting for "Colonial" the word " Imperial," which I think is more in accordance with the fitness of things. These Conferences are really Imperial in their character, since they are not composed only of the self-governing Colonies, but of the representatives of the Imperial Government also. lam very glad to hear from Mr. Deakin that he has no objection to that. The next question, as I understand—the idea of having such a council as was suggested by Mr. Lyttelton—is not pressed. Mr. DEAKIN : We have never pressed it. Sir WILFRID LAURIER : No. I thought that the Imperial Government would press it; but it is not pressed, as I understand. Therefore we are brought to the idea of having a Secretariat, sitting here in the City of London. Even in this modified form lam far from being agreeable to it. The Imperial Conference, if the name is accepted, cannot sit here more than once in four or five years; it cannot sit every year, I think everybody admits, nor every two years; three years even would be too proximate a date. I may say, for my part, T thought even four years was too short a space of time, in view of the fact that nobody can come to this Conference except at great inconvenience; and supposing it were decided to sit every four years, you would

Second Day. 17 April 1907.

Proposed Imperial I iilM'l!. (Mr. Deakin.)