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Monsieur le President, — British Legation, Berne, 30th March, 1914. With reference to Mr. Clive's note of the 14th June, 1912, in which he had the honour to communicate to the Federal Government the ratification of His Majesty the King to the International Copyright Convention signed at Berne on the 13th November, 1908, I have the honour to inform your Excellency, in compliance with instructions from His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that the Dominion of New Zealand now desire to accede to the Convention. I have the honour at the same time to state that it is desired that the accession of the Dominion of New Zealand shall take effect from the Ist April, 1914. While notifying the above accession to Your Excellency, I have received instructions to state that it is subject to the same reservation as that made by His Majesty's Government at the time of the deposit of the ratification of His Britannic Majesty. I avail myself of this opportunity, Monsieur le President, to renew to Your Excellency the assurance of my highest consideration. E. Hicks-Beach. His Excellency Monsieur Hoffman, President of the Swiss Confederation.

No. 26. New Zealand, No. 170. My Lord, — Downing Street, 24th April, 1914. With reference to Your Excellency's telegram of the 9th April, I have the honour to transmit to Your Excellency, for the information of your Ministers, six copies of a parliamentary paper containing correspondence relating to the representation of the self-governing dominions on the Committee of Imperial Defence, and to a proposed Naval Conference. I have, &c, L. HAECOUET. Governor His Excellency the Eight Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, K.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

Enclosures. CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE REPRESENTATION OF THE SELF-GOVERNING DOMINIONS ON THE COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL DEFENCE, AND TO A PROPOSED NAVAL CONFERENCE. No.' 1. The Secretary of State to the Governor-General of Australia, the Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, and the Governors of New Zealand and Newfoundland. My Lord [Sir], — Downing Street, 10th December, 1912. I am forwarding by post, for the confidential information of your Ministers, a record of the proceedings at the Committee of Imperial Defence on the 30th May, 1911 (during the Imperial Conference), and on the Ist August, 1912 (during the visit of the Canadian Ministers to London). This record deals solely with the question of the representation of the Dominions on the Committee of Imperial Defence. [Omitted to New Zealand: Your Ministers, who were present on the first occasion, will remember that] the matter arose out of a resolution by Sir Joseph Ward on the agenda of the Imperial Conference, asking that the High Commissioners of the Dominions should be summoned to the Committee of Imperial Defence when naval and military matters affecting the oversea Dominions were under consideration. The unanimous view of all those present on the 30th May, 1911, was that the representation of the Dominions should be, not by the High Commissioner, but by Ministers, who would be responsible to their own colleagues and Parliament, and at the same time it was decided that a Defence Committee should be established in each Dominion, which would be kept in close touch with the Committee of Imperial Defence at Home. The resolutions ultimately put forward by His Majesty's Government and accepted unanimously by the members of the Imperial Conference at the Committee of Imperial Defence were as follows : (1.) That one or more representatives, appointed by the respective Governments of the Dominions, should be invited to attend meetings of the Committee of Imperial Defence when questions of naval and military defence affecting the oversea Dominions are under consideration. (2.) The proposal that a Defence Committee should be established in each Dominion is accepted in principle. The constitution of these Defence Committees is a matter for each Dominion to decide. The Canadian Government having changed in the autumn of 1911, it was necessary, when Mr. Borden and his colleagues visited England this summer, to put these proposals before them, as they were, of course, unaware of the previous proceedings. Subject to consultation with his colleagues in Canada, Mr. Borden provisionally accepted the resolutions as passed, and stated that he saw no difficulty in one of his Ministers, either with or without portfolio, spending some months of every year in London in order to carry out this intention. Mr. Asquith

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