THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 327, 14 June 1911, Page 5

THE IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

VARIOUS RESOLUTIONS. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. London, June 12. Mr. Asquith presided at the resumed meeting of the Imperial Conference. The Australian and New Zealand resolutions on the Imperial Appeal Court, and the Australian resolution on the law of conspiracy were discussed. The New Zealand motion was withdrawn, and the conference decided to leave the question in the hands of the Imperial law officers to draft a scheme showing how far the present system could be altered, the scheme to be submitted when the full proceedings of the conference are publisned. The conspiracy resolution was intended mainly to combat stowaway Chinese, but owing to its far-reaching character the matter was left to the Imperial Government to take measures for a remedy in the direction- of Australian requirements.

THE PRIVY COUNCIL. INCONVENIENCES MENTIONED. "OLD FORMS MUST BE MAINTAINED." Received 13, 11.30 p.m. London, June 13. At the Imperial Conference Mr. Batchelor insisted on the awkwardness of having separate final courts of appeal in the United Kingdom and the Dominions and the inconvenience of getting a reply of a single majority judgment of the Privy Council, instead of separate opinions of all judges. Lord Loreburn emphasised the Government's willingness to give the Dominions whatever sort of final court they wanted, but the old forms must be maintained. The Conference agreed that the procedure and membership of the two courts should be assimilated as far as possible, preserving the old names. None of the Dominions were able to spare judges to serve as overseas members of the Privv Council.