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2. I shall be glad if you will explain to your Ministers that the first section of this Act has been passed in order to carry out the suggestion made by the Prime Minister of New Zealand at the Colonial Conference of 1907 (see page 213 of Cd. 3523) in which the Lord Chancellor expressed his concurrence that upon the hearing of an appeal from the Supreme Court of any self-governing Dominion, it should be possible for a judge of the Court, from which the appeal is being brought, to attend as an assessor of the Judicial Committee on the hearing of the appeal. 3. Opportunity has been taken of the passing of this Act by Section 3 to include any justice of the High Court of Australia or of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland, among those persons who shall if Privy Councillors be eligible to be members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and to add the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony to the schedule to the Judicial Committee Amendment Act, 1895. 4. Provision has also been made by Section 4 of the Act for any Member of the Judicial Committee to resign his office as member by giving notice of his resignation in writing to the Lord President of the Council. 5. I trust that the effect of the Act will be to add to the efficiency of the conduct of business by the Judicial Committee of the Council. I have, &c, CREWE. Governor, the Rt. Hon. Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O.

No. 51. New Zealand, No. 27. My Lord, Downing Street, sth February, 1909. I have the honour to inform you that Sir Charles Lucas, head of the Dominions Department of this Office will, by my instructions, leave at an early date on a visit to Australia and New Zealand in accordance with the suggestion to which expression was more particularly given by the Prime Minister of Australia at the Conference of 1907 that opportunities should be created by periodical visits for members of the permanent staff of the Colonial Office to acquire personal knowledge of the circumstances and conditions of those Colonies with whose business they have to deal. 2. It is proposed that he shall take the Peninsular and Oriental steamer " Marmora " leaving London on the 26th oi this month and reaching Perth on the 30th of March, and that he shall visit Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Tasmania, and New Zealand, in the order named, but I am of course giving him some latitude as to his itinerary and am not strictly limiting him to time, though it is presumed that the tour may be completed in about six months in all 3. Sir C. Lucas will be accompanied by Mr. A. A. Pearson C.M.G. lately a member of the staff of this office. 4. I desire to commend these gentlemen to your good offices and to ask you to give Sir Charles Lucas every facility for fulfilling the objects of his tour and carrying out such instructions as I shall^give^him. I have etc., CREWE. Governor, the Rt. Hon. Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., X.C.V.0., &c, &c.

No. 52. No. 31. My Lord, Downing Street, 11th February, 1909. I have the honour to inform you that His Majesty will not be advised to exercise'his power of disallowance with respect to Act No. 248 of 1908, shortly entitledthe Workers Compensation Act, 1908, transcript of which accompanied your despatch No. 81, of the 3rd of November.

A. 1, 1909, No. 23.