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" On behalf of the Imperial Conference now sitting in London, I send you and your companions in adventure the best wishes of the Conference for a successful voyage and a safe return. God speed you all." The representatives of the Governments interested expressed their serious concern at the increasing magnitude of whaling operations in the Antarctic, which they felt had now reached such proportions that the introduction of restrictive measures was urgently required if the future of the whaling industry was not to be gravely endangered. The representatives of the Governments concerned recognized that there were many difficulties in the way of the adoption of such measures, which could only be introduced by international action, but they felt that these difficulties ought to be faced, and that, in the interests of preserving the whaling industry, no opportunity should be lost of urging the imperative necessity of conserving the stock of whales in the Antarctic. IX. DEFENCE. As already mentioned, the great pressure of work in connection with interImperial relations and economic questions rendered it impossible to arrange any plenary discussions on Imperial defence. At an early stage of the Conference, however, arrangements were made for the Chiefs of Staff of the three Services in the United Kingdom and representatives of the Services of the Dominions and India to meet together and discuss matters of common interest. The existing arrangements for consultation and co-operation (including questions of general defence, such as the supply of war material and the co-ordination of defensive arrangements, as well as the staff arrangements of the respective services) which have grown up as the result of past Imperial Conferences were reviewed, and, where necessary, recommendations were submitted for their improvement in matters of detail. In addition, meetings took place at the Admiralty. War Office, and Air Ministry, at which questions of naval, military, and air defence respectively were examined from a more technical point of view. Naval Base at Singapoi:k. As a result of discussion between representatives of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Australia, and New Zealand, it was recommended that the present policy of the ultimate establishment of a defended naval base at Singapore should be maintained and that the Jackson contract should be continued. It was. however, also recommended that, apart from the latter expenditure and such as will be required for the completion of the air base on the scale at present contemplated, the remaining expenditure — i.e., that required for completing the equipment of the docks and for defence works —should be postponed for the next five years, when the matter could he again reviewed in the light of relevant conditions then prevailing. X. PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE CHARTER OF THE IMPERIAL WAR GRAVES COMMISSION. Certain proposals for the extension of the powers of the Imperial A\ar (iraves Commission under their existing charters were considered by a Committee under the chairmanship of Sir Fabian Ware, Vice-Chairman of the Imperial War Graves Commission. The committee recommended, and the Conference approved the recommendation, that application should be made for a supplemental charter to remove doubts as to the power of the Commission to make superannuation provision for, and pay gratuities to, their officers and servants, and to make certain other arrangements for the general welfare of their officers and servants abroad. It was recommended also thai at the same time power should be sought to enable official members of the Commission to appoint deputies to represent them on committees of the Commission.

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