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REPORT to the PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE.

I have the honour to lay before you a statement of the conclusions arrived at by the recent Conference held under your Presidency between representatives of the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, on the subject of the Merchant Shipping Legislation, together with a verbatim report of the proceedings. The Conference was originally proposed in 1905 by the then Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the correspondence between the Colonial Office and the Board of Trade and between Mr. Lyttelton and the Governments of the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand has already been presented to Parliament in Parliamentary Paper Cd. 2483, on pages 79-82 of which will be found Mr. Lyttelton's despatches stating the reasons for which such a Conference was considered to be desirable. This paper contains also copies of the New Zealand Shipping and Seamen Act, 1903 (App. II), and the Australian Commonwealth Navigation and Shipping Bill (App. Ill), which together with the report of the Royal Commission on this Bill (printed as Parliamentary Paper Cd. 3023) formed to a great extent the basis of the deliberations of the Conference. The Conference opened on the 26th March, 1907, and sat on eight days, both in the morning and afternoon. In addition to the Chairman, the United Kingdom delegation consisted partly of representatives of the Government Departments concerned and partly of representatives of shipowners and seamen, the members being as follows :- Mr. H. Llewellyn Smith, C.8., Mr. Walter J. Howell, C.B. Mr R. Ellis Cunliffe and Captain Chalmers, of the Board of Trade ; Mr. H. Bertram Cox, C.8., and Mr. A B. Keith of the Colonial Office; Mr. Norman Hill, Mr. E. Pembroke, Mr. K. Anderson Mr. H F Fernie, Mr. R. J. Dunlop, representing Shipowners ; and Mr. J. Havelock Wilson, MP and Mr. D. J. Kenny, representing Seamen. The Australian delegation consisted of Hon Sir William J. Lyne, Minister for Trade and Customs in the Commonwealth of Australia the Hon. W. M. Hughes, and the Hon. Dugald Thomson, members of the Federal House of Representatives. Dr. H. N. P. Wollaston, LL.D., 1.5.0., permanent head of the Commonwealth Department of Trade and Customs, was also present. The New Zealand' delegation consisted of Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, K.C.M.G., Premier of New Zealand Mr James Mills, Managing Director and Chairman of Directors of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand, Ltd., Mr. A. R. Hislop, Secretary of the Marine Engineers' Association, and Mr. W. Belcher, General Secretary of the Seamen s Union. Dr. Fitchett, Solicitor-General, was also present. The statement of the conclusions arrived at by the Conference which is prefixed to the Report of proceedings shews :— [a) the Resolutions passed by the Conference, (6) the Resolutions on which the delegations differed, and (c) the Resolutions which were withdrawn after discussion. In this connection it may be mentioned that voting took place by delegations, and in cases where members of any delegation were not unanimous, the minority were allowed, if they so desired, to record their dissent. 1 have, &c, H. LLEWELLYN SMITH.