PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.885
18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
Fifteenth Day.
14 May 1907.
INTERCHANGE OF PERMANENT
STAFF.
(Mr. Deak in.)
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relation to our common business that we so often fail to understand each other. I say nothing by way of criticism of the want of knowledge here that does not apply to ourselves. I make no distinction whatever, though of course we are better informed as to your politics than you are as to ours.
CHAIRMAN: The difficulty about the date is really between Canada and Australia. I do not know how to bring them together.
Mr. DEAKIN: What is the time of year when the Imperial Parliament is not sitting?
CHAIRMAN: Last year it sat 10 months out of 12. It was only up in August and September.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: I am afraid there are a number of difficulties that cannot be overcome; our Parliament commences to sit in November, and sits during December and January.
Mr. DEAKIN: December and January are suggested; it is a very unpleasant time to arrive, but perhaps it would be free; apparently you are engaged at that time.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: Yes, the best time would be what is summer here, June and July.
Mr. DEAKIN : That is when our Parliaments are in full swing.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: You must put somebody to inconvenience whenever these Conferences are to take place.
CHAIRMAN: That is the difficulty.
Mr. DEAKIN: Yes, and it requires to be settled. That is one of the matters which, if the new Secretariat takes it in hand, they would be much better able to deal with than we are. Although this new Secretariat, is to remain under the Colonial Office, may I hope that it is to fulfil one of the functions of the Imperial Secretariat, that of being a free channel of communication between the different Dominions and the United Kingdom on any matters which may be proposed by them or proper for inquiry and investigation, instead of sending direct to each other, as of course we do now. At all events, copies of all these communications should be registered in this Secretariat, in order that we may be kept in touch with them. A number of other matters may be taken up in a tentative way, whether they are pursued or not, as to which it seems desirable for any one of the Dominions to obtain the opinions of the other Dominions or of His Majesty's Government. Such occasions might not be ought to encourage frequent, but if the policy of the open door prevail
further Imperial co-operation.
I have trespassed quite enough on your patience or the patience of my colleagues, but this matter is of the gravest importance to us, and I cannot attempt to deal with it as it deserves in these last moments of the Conference. Every increase in the harmony that obtains between us and goes to establish the thorough understanding which we desire to see maintained between, We get His Majesty's Government and our Governments is most valuable. that understanding almost wholly through the Colonial Office if we get it at
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all. Finally, any proposals we make for bringing this office into closer touch with ourselves are made in the common interest, not for merely selfish ends, but in the hope and belief, that it is possible to enable this vast Empire, dissevered by great distances, with its scattered populations absorbed in their own inmediate interests and pursuits, to see all its members brought into line for great and closer co-operation with each other; this will be one means of accomplishing that most admirable end.
CHAIRMAN: I do not propose to follow Mr. Deakin through his very interesting statement, which he has kindly put more as an invitation to me to consider than anything else. There are one or two remarks I would like to make to clear up, as far as I can, any misunderstanding of my position. In the first place I am not quite sure I entirely follow yet the system of appointments which Mr. Deakin described as obtaining in Australia. But, of course, as far as this office is concerned, it is not a separate organisation all by itself; it is a part of the general Civil Service of the country, a civil service of which we are extremely proud. It is recruited from the Civil Service; the Civil Service itself being a competition open to men of high ability, and among them, if I may say so, open to men from the Colonies too, if they choose to come forward. I should suppose that Rhodes' scholars might possibly come forward in the future, and increase the number of Colonials we may have in the Civil Service. That being the method in which this office is recruited and staffed, I fancy that it would be, perhaps, a little difficult to arrange exchanges on equal footings. I only think it might be so.
At any rate, you must remember that this office, when you come to it apart from the Civil Service, is one with a very intricate organisa- tion. We have, as Mr. Deakin has said, colonies in all parts of the world, and in all stages of development, and we have, therefore, to arrange a very complicated division of duties within the office. Hitherto the main scheme of the office was geographical. In the obligation which I undertook at the beginning of these sittings I practically accepted the position that, in future, at any rate, as far as the responsible governing Colonies are concerned, we depart from the geographical division and take the responsibly governed Colonies under one branch. That, I venture to think, may make even a fresh difficulty in the question of delegation as between offices and different parts of the world. It seems to me impossible for me to hold out any very large expectation in that respect. We have, I believe, already on occasions found opportunities of sending gentlemen to the Colonies for the occasional services alluded to. That may occur again. But any large delegation, unless it was possible to arrange regular exchanges and even perhaps in that case-must mean some increase in staff, which I am not at all sure it would be possible for me to contemplate, and certainly I could not contemplate it without consulting those in charge of the finances. I should like also to point out with regard to services in the responsibly governed Colonies that, without in any way demurring to the view which you expressed of the value of knowledge of localities and the conditions of the people and so on, at the same time as far as this office is concerned we deal in no way with the local administration. That is your own affair; you are autonomous in every respect, and it is the last thing you would wish us to interfere with. Therefore, the business which actually comes here from you depends more upon principles than upon local characteristics. I am not quite sure, admit, that it is absolutely necessary for the performance of these duties that the men who are in charge of them should journey over the world--because they would have to journey over the world-as it is no use in a secretariat of this kind, their taking one colony only; they must exchange from one colony to another in order to qualify themselves in all. Indeed, I rather think that if you wish to push that principle to an effective
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Fifteenth Day.
14 May 1907,
INTERCHANGE OF PERMANENT STAFF.
(Mr. Deakin.)