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OPENING SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE IRISH FREE STATE. Mr. Cosgrave : Prime Minister, I wish to thank you very sincerely for the welcome which you have extended to us on this occasion of the opening of the Imperial Conference, to thank you especially for the references to those of us who were here at the Conference of 1923, and to join with you in your expression of regret at the demise of the Marquess Curzon and Mr. Massey. Lord Curzon I met but once, and I had not the honour of hearing him on the last occasion when he made a remarkable contribution to the business of the Conference. Mr. Massey came from my own country. I had but a very short acquaintance with him, but it is indeed one of the satisfactory features of a Conference such as this that a tribute of generous appreciation should be paid to the memory of those who are no longer with us. Value of Imperial Conferences and of Personal Consultation. We come here from Governments representing countries widely scattered across the surface of the earth but linked together in an association such as exists between no other body of independent States. In the very able statement to which we have just listened, and which I have followed with great interest and appreciation, you have been good enough to outline the problems with which the members of the British Commonwealth of Nations are to - day confronted. We meet here in an atmosphere of fraternal friendship to consult one another on these problems and to endeavour to come to a clear appreciation of our several points of view upon all matters which in common affect our peoples. During the three years covered by your remarkably lucid review, our relations have been marked by sympathetic understanding and close co-operation. The written word, as a vehicle of thought, as a medium of consultation, is but a tardy and unsatisfactory substitute for personal discussion and personal contact. Hence we welcome these recurring opportunities for members of Governments having so many interests in common to come together and consider how those interests may best be furthered, to see how any potential interference with the unmarred concord which exists between us may most surely be avoided, to reinforce the sympathetic bonds uniting us, and to take all steps that may be advantageous to our future co-operation in the interests of peace and progress. OPENING SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF NEWFOUNDLAND. Mr. Monroe : Prime Minister, I have to join with my colleagues, the Prime Ministers of the various Dominions, in thanking you very sincerely for the welcome given us here to-day and for the honour of meeting the various representatives of the Dominions and India. I did not know Mr. Massey or Lord Curzon, and therefore I cannot say very much about them except that my predecessor, Mr. Warren, always talked about Mr. Massey as being the father of the last Conference which he attended. Position of Newfoundland. I am not here to-day posing as an Imperial statesman. On the contrary, I am simply an ordinary business man who is very proud to be present at this Conference as the representative of what we much prefer to call Britain's oldest Colony rather than Britain's youngest Dominion. We represent such a very small number of people that we do not expect to have very much to say on Imperial matters. We would not desire to. Our position here to-day is very much that of " listeners in " desirous of learning rather than of speaking. The message I would bring from Newfoundland to-day is that we are entirely satisfied with the flag under which we live ; we are entirely satisfied with the status under which we exist; and we do not even require to be consulted as to questions of foreign policy. We are perfectly satisfied that the Ministers who are in charge of Great Britain's affairs to-day are fully capable of dealing with them without any assistance from us, and, if their deliberations should ever bring the Empire to war we are perfectly willing to come in, feeling satisfied that we are fighting for a just cause. Ido not wish to say anything more this morning except that we people, who live very largely by the sea, have been drawn very closely to the Mother-country through our associations with the Navy, and we regret very much that there has been a disassociation through the abolition of the training of Naval Reservists in Newfoundland. We hope some way can be arranged between ourselves and the Admiralty for the continuation of what we consider a very important link in the chain which binds the old colony to the Mothercountry. Our interests are largely with economic questions, and we are hopeful that we will be able to make some concessions in a readjustment of our tariff before the next session of our Parliament with a view to giving a preference to Great Britain. I feel it is a reflection on the old colony that it can be said that we are the only Dominion, so'called, that does not give a preference to the Mother-country. I sincerely hope that this can be rectified and that we, a very smalFrepresentation of the vast population of the British Empire, will be able to contribute something towards the settlement of the various questions that will be before us. OPENING SPEECH BY THE MAHARAJA OF BURDWAN, ON BEHALF OF THE INDIAN DELEGATION. Lord Winterton: Prime Minister, lam representing the Secretary of State for India. It had been Lord Birkenhead's intention, had he been present, to ask the Maharaja of Burdwan to speak, and, on Lord Birkenhead's behalf, I therefore now do so. The Maharaja of Burdwan\: Prime Minister, I feel very complimented indeed at having been asked by the Secretary of State for India to speak on behalf of the Indian Delegation at the opening

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