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positive objection. I agree with Mr. Graham that we cannot expect the Colonial representa- tives on the Commission to be men of higher stamp than the Agents-General, and no one who has ever sat on a committee with them will expect any practical results from their deliberations; their jealousy of each other, their habit of referring every trivial point to their Governments, and their very limited training and experience, all tend to make the prospect of their ever arriving at an agree- Nor do I believe ment a very remote one. that the reports of such a Commission would carry weight with the Colonial Governments. The changes of such governments are fre- quent, and the representative of any particu- lar government, whether he were the Agent- General or another, would frequently be a man appointed by the preceding Government, and only waiting to be turned out until a successor was found for him.
Therefore, I doubt the proposed Commis. sion being efficient, and I fear it would cer- tainly be dangerous. I share Mr. Cox's views, and I do not see how the difficulties he points out can be safeguarded. Assuming that the Commission would not be given the status of a Royal Commission, still we should find it im- papers and possible to withhold from them the evidence necessary to enable them to deal with the subjects remitted to them, and, in most cases, the essential papers and evidence would be of a highly confidential character. We are under no delusions as to the possibility of securing secrecy from any Colonial Ministry, and we must be prepared for the publication of what passes through the Commission's hands. And, as a source of friction between the Imperial Government and the Colonies, who will not be disposed to tolerate the con- trol over this Commission which Parliament will claim on the strength of the money vote, the Commission will be a cause of further danger. Responsible, as a body, to neither the Imperial Government nor to any one Colonial Government, it will be in a most anomalous position.
It is true that the resolutions of previous Conferences have been of a vague and incon- clusive character, and that very little practi- cal result has followed on their deliberations. But this is due to the fact that the Prime Ministers themselves have come to these Con- ferences without any clear mandate from their Parliaments to settle the questions raised. This, and their distrust of each other, has led to the resolutions being generally of a non- committal character and to the Conferences resulting in much talk and little business. These causes would lose none of their force in consequence of the appointment of the pro- posed Commission. The idea of an Imperial Council may be in the air, so far as newspaper
letters and magazine articles tend to elevate a subject to that position, but from no quarter is there any sign of a demand for this Com- mission, and I earnestly hope that the pro- posal will not be carried further.
April 7, 1905.
(MR. LYTTELTON.)
M. F. O.
am much obliged for the criticisms which have been made on the proposed circular.
As to the Council.
Name. This is not of great consequence and
is a matter properly to be settled at the next meeting.
In
Presidency of the Prime Minister.—If the Council ever attains any really Imperial weight, it is quite out of the question, in my opinion, that one member of the Cabinet, who is not its chief, can be in name its Pesident. reality no doubt the Colonial Secretary will principally direct its proceedings and initiate its policy. In the (probably frequent) absence of the Prime Minister the Secretary of State will inevitably preside, if for no better reason because no Colony would accept the leadership, if it could help it, of another Colony.
Secretary of State for India.-Under my altered form of words will occupy a position not of equality with the Colonial Secretary.
The objections, if they have any great force, to the inclusion of the Crown Colonies and India exist at the present time, for discussion of matters which affect them can take place now and indeed did take place in 1902. At all times His Majesty's Government can reject any propositions affecting those countries, even if they are carried by a majority and this power would continue to exist, and nothing is pro- posed to diminish it. It would be impossible to exclude from the Conference matters, such as preference, and such topics affect India as well as the Crown Colonies.
The Commission or Committes.
I cannot think that. the present preparation for the Conferences is adequate. The Colonial Office may have done everything that was neces- sary before 1902, but the whole point of the suggested change is not to inform the Secretary of State and His Majesty's Government, but the Colonial Conference and the Colonial Prime Ministers. The latter have not the staff who can do the work for them and cannot be ex- pected to accept the material which this office submits. But they might, and, I think, often would, accept the information of the Committee which would contain their own representatives.
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