A.—2

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No. 36

New Zealand, Dominions No. 365. My Lord, — Downing Street, 9th June, 1917. I have the honour to request that Your Excellency will draw the attention of your Ministers to the resolution passed by the Imperial War Conference, " that the Imperial War Conference desires to place on record its view that the resolution of the Imperial Conference of the 20th April, 1917, should be modified to permit of India being fully represented at all future Imperial Conferences, and that the necessary steps should be taken to secure the assent of the various Governments in order that the next Imperial Conference may be summoned and constituted accordingly." 2. I propose, therefore, subject to the assent of the other Governments which compose the Conference, when the time arrives for making arrangements for the meeting of the next Imperial Conference, to arrange for the representation of India. 3. I understand from your telegram of the sth May that your Government agrees to this course. I have, &c, WALTER 11. LONG. Governor His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

A.—l., 1918. No. 30.

No. 37. New Zealand, No. 87. My Lord, — Downing Street, 9th June, 1917. I have the honour to transmit to Your Excellency, to be laid before your Ministers, copies of a draft of a Bill to amend the Imperial Extradition Acts. 2. As far as the oversea Dominions are concerned the main objects of the Bill are — (a.) To give the Legislature of any British possession power to pass legislation adding within its own area other crimes to those in the list of extradition offences under the Imperial Acts, in order to give effect to any special treaty which may be made for the purpose of authorizing extradition for such added crimes between the British possession in question and any foreign (b.) To provide that where, as in the case of Canada, a British possession passes an Act in substitution for the Imperial Acts, an Order in Council may be made directing not only that the Imperial Acts shall be suspended so long as the local Act remains in force, but also that the local Act shall be recognized and given effect to throughout His Majesty's Dominions and on the high seas as if it were part of the Imperial Extradition Acts. 3. As regards the proposal (a), which is embodied in clause 1 of the Bill, I may mention as an instance of the kind of treaty contemplated that a Supplementary Extradition Convention is at present being negotiated with the United States of America for the purpose of including desertion of wife and children, or their non-support, in the list of offences for which extradition may be granted between Canada and the United States. Though the provision in clause 1 of the Bill will not be required in connection with this particular treaty, inasmuch as Canada will be able to amend its own Extradition Act by adding wife-desertion, &c, to its list of extradition offences, the clause will meet a difficulty which would occur if one of the Dominions which rely on the Imperial Acts should desire that any special similar arrangement with a foreign State should be made.