IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 54, 25 August 1911, Page 5

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE.

AN AUSTRALIAN, REVIEW. By Cable—Press Association —Copyright. Sydney, August 24. Mr. Pearcc states that the Australians did not support Sir Joseph Ward's resolution at the Imperial Conference for greater legislative powers to deal with British and foreign shipping, because the Federal constitution gives full power to deal with navigation, and nothing further was wanted to deal with British and foreign shipping. Regarding cables, the Conference unanimously agreed that, in the event of considerable reductions not being effected in the near future in Atlantic cable rates, the question of a State-owned cable would be considered by a subsidiary conference. Referring to Sir Joseph Ward's motion for an Imperial Parliament of Defence, it was evident that the matter had not been thoroughly thought out. For instance it was proposed to give the Parliament power to make peace or war, but the Dominion Parliaments were to retain control of their armtes. Thus the 'body declaring war would have no means to effect its policy. It was also proposed that the United Kingdom should have two hundred members, and the dominions only seventy-five. Such a scheme had no hope of acceptance.