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The same observation applies to the system which we have adopted for the purpose of securing co-ordination and economy on the administrative side of our defensive system in such matters as contracts, stores and supplies of all kinds, buildings and works, the transport, medical, educational, and chaplains branches, research, and all services common to the three arms. Great progress has been made in this direction, but it is mainly a matter of domestic concern, and I do not propose to go into details here, though 1 should be glad to furnish particulars to any member of the Conference who is interested. After the general discussion on Imperial defence at this meeting I would propose that, in accordance with the procedure adopted at previous Conferences, the representatives of the Dominions and India should be invited by the Ministers concerned to attend separate meetings at the Admiralty, War Office, and Air Ministry, with a view to pursuing the question of Imperial defence in its more technical aspects. The matters which the Admiralty, War Office, and Air Ministry respectively desire to raise can be discussed in detail at these meetings. But there are also some more general questions on which we wish to consult you. I suggest that, a little later, these questions, which affect all three services, together with any similar questions which may arise, either out of the discussions to-day or out of the meetings in the Service Departments, might appropriately be considered (as at the Conferences of 1909 and 1911) at a meeting of the Committee of Imperial Defence, where we should all be represented. Apart from these questions, I hope that, as a part of the general policy of improving our methods of communication and consultation on matters of common interest, we may consider how far we can, in the interest of co-ordination of defence, make further use of the elastic machinery of the Committee of Imperial Defence. So far as we here are concerned, we shall certainly welcome your more frequent association and closer co-operation with the work of the committee on all matters affecting the Dominions or the general defence of the Empire, to whatever extent and in whatever manner you may consider appropriate. STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA. Appreciation of Statements and of Service Demonstrations. Mr. Mackenzie King : I desire at the outset of my remarks to express appreciation of the comprehensive and illuminating statements which have been made with respect to each of the three services, and of the clear indication they give of the efficiency of the organization for defence. I wish also to say a word of real appreciation of what has been done by the services in arranging the extremely effective demonstrations at Croydon, Portland, and Camberley. They have provided exceptional opportunities of becoming acquainted with the almost revolutionary changes that are being made in the art and practice of war, and emphasize the need of all parts of the Empire keeping abreast of the rapid changes and developments occurring in all three fields. Defence Organization in Canada. In 1922.the Canadian Government decided to organize one department to contain the three services and deal with all questions of defence. The Department of National Defence accordingly came into being in January, 1923. This close association of the services has been, in the main, productive of efficiency and economy, though a good deal yet remains to be done before the organization can be considered complete. In the Royal Military College at Kingston Canada possesses a training-school for officers which I believe is recognized as very efficient. The capacity of the college has recently been increased to two hundred gentleman cadets. It is proposed that in future officers for all three services will be drawn chiefly from this source. • Army. In military matters the general policy of Canada has been the organization and training of our forces on lines similar to those maintained in Great Britain, with the necessary changes required by local conditions. As a result of the experience gained in the past, and particularly in the Great War, Canada has now an organized military force of considerable size, which should be sufficient for peace-time needs, with certain additions and changes to give a better proportion of arms. As war-time experienced officers and other ranks drop out, new problems as to the period of training arise, and the trend toward the mechanicalization of the army will make it necessary to consider organization, training, and equipment from this angle. We are now in possession of much more equipment, and of a more suitable description, than ever before, though some of it is obsolescent. The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals is being expanded and used to provide a wireless service in the Yukon and Mackenzie River Valley. The extension of this system to the Hudson's Bay and Hudson's Straits is under consideration. The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals is thus able to perform a service of public utility, while at the same time obtaining valuable technical and practical training. The peace establishment of the Militia of Canada calls for a strength of, roughly, 130,000 all ranks. At present this force is recruited to approximately 50 per cent, of its strength. Among the steps taken to ensure that the Canadian forces are trained as closely as possible on the same lines as the British may be mentioned the interchange of officers, and attendance of officers at numerous courses in England, including the Staff College, and exchange of visits between staff officers.

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