97

A.—4.

1 June, 1911.] Declaration of London. [3rd Day. There were also present : Lord Lucas, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Colonies; Sir Francis Hopwood, G.C.M.G., R.C.8., Permanent Under Secretary of State for the Colonies; Sir C. P. Lucas, K.C.M.G., C.8., Assistant Under Secretary of State for the Colonies; Mr. J. S. Eisley, Legal Adviser, Colonial Office; Sir Eyre Crowe, K.C.M.G., C.8., Foreign Office; Mr. C. J. B. Hurst, C.8., Assistant Legal Adviser, Foreign Office; Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Ottley, K.C.M.G., M.V.0., Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence; Mr. Atlee A. Hunt, C.M.G., Secretary to the Department of External Affairs, Commonwealth of Australia; Commander S. A. Pethebridge, Secretary to the Department of Defence, Commonwealth of Australia; Mr. J. R. Leisk, Secretary for Finance, Union of South Afric.a; and Private Secretaries to Members of the Conference.

Declaration of London. " That it is regretted that the Dominions were a not consulted prior to jhe acceptance by the British Delegates of the terms of the Declaration of London : that it is not desirable Great Britain should adopt the inclusion in Article 24 of foodstuffs in view of the fact that so large a part of the trade of the Empire is in those articles : that it is not desirable that Great Britain should adopt the provisions of Articles 48 to 54 permitting the destruction of neutral vessels." Mr. FISHER : I should like, before moving this resolution, to say that 1 should like my honourable colleague, the Minister for External Affairs, Mr. Batchelor, to be associated with me in this discussion. I shall state very briefly indeed the principles underlying this objection, if you may call it so, and leave it to my honourable friend to discuss it in detail, if the Conference thinks it advisable to go into it seriously. We in the Commonwealth are strongly in favour of international courts or associations as conferences, or any body at all, that will help to settle disputes arising amongst the self-governing communities. That is a principle we strongly adhere to, and anything the Mother Country may do to bring about these settlements or to establish these courts to lead to settlements will have our hearty support. As regards this particular item, the Declaration of London, I think I had better first read our resolution : " That it is regretted that the Dominions were not consulted prior to the acceptance by the British delegates of the terms of the Declaration of London; that it is not desirable that Great Britain should adopt the inclusion in Article 24 of foodstuffs, in view of the fact that so large a part of the trade of the Empire is in those articles : that it is not desirable that Great Britain should adopt the provisions of Articles 48-54 permitting the destruction of neutral vessels." The first part of it, ending with the words " Declaration of London," is a part to which we attach great importance. Hitherto the Dominions have not, as far as my knowledge goes, been consulted prior to negotiations being entered into by the Mother Country with other countries, as regards treaties or anything that led up to a treaty or a declaration of this kind. I hold strongly the view—with great deference to the opinions of His Majesty's Ministers in the United Kingdom—that that is a weak link in