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The SECRETARY OF STATE:. It would be a convenience. Now, of course, if there will be any question of voting only the members of the Conference will vote; but it might facilitate discussion if these gentlemen should attend. Then as to the day. What day would be most convenient?
Mr. SEDDON :To-morrow we go to the Review.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: Perhaps it would be just as well here, if it were possible, to put a check upon the hospitality of the people of England. They are so kind as to make it difficult to proceed with business. To-morrow we have another function, and there will be others, I suppose, before we meet again. It will be desirable, if we can have a meeting among ourselves, that we may elicit our views so far as we can?
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: So far as I see, there will not be any possibility, for my part, of meeting before the end of this week or the
commencement of next.
Sir EDMUND BARTON: Is thoro any possibility of Thursday or Friday It would be advisable to start it this week.
Sir ALBERT HIME: Thursday or Friday; Thursday if possible, if that is convenient to you, Sir?
The SECRETARY OF STATE: I should be content to make my convenience suit yours.
Sir EDMUND BARTON: That would give an opportunity for considering our views.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: If we meet here on Friday.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: May I suggest that we meet here on Friday at 11 o'clock, and that we take up the subject of Imperial Defence, unless there is any change afterwards? But I will inquire of the Admiralty and War Office.
Adjourned till Friday next at 11 a.m.
17
SECOND DAY.
Friday, July 4th, 1902.
PRESENT:
The Right Honourable J. CHAMBERLAIN, M.P., His Majesty s
Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The Right Honourable Sir WILFRID LAURIER, G.C.M.G., Premier of
Canada.
The Right Honourable Sir EDMUND Barton, G.C.M.G., Premier of
Australia.
The Right Honourable R. J. SEDDON, Premier of New Zealand.
The Right Honourable Sir J. GORDON SPRIGO, G.C.M.G., Premier of
Cape Colony.
The Right Honourable Sir ALBERT HENRY HIME, K.C.M.G., Premier of
Natal.
The Right Honourable Sir ROBERT BOND, K.C.M.G., Premier of
Newfoundland.
The EARL OF ONSLOW, G.C.M.G., Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State for the Colonies.
?
Sir M. F. OMMANNEY, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., Permanent Under-Secretary of
State for the Colonies.
Sir JOHN ANDERSON, K.C.M.G., Secretary,
PRESENT ALSO :—
The Right Honourable ST. JOHN BRODRICK, M.P., His Majesty's Secretary
of State for War.
GENERAL Sir W. NICHOLSON, R.E., K.C.B.
The Right Honourable The EARL OF SELBORNE, The First Lord of the
Admiralty.
Mr. ARNOLD-FORSTER, M.P., Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the
Admiralty.
Rear-Admiral CuSTANCE, R.N.
The Right Honourable Sir JoHN FORREST, G.C.M.G., Minister of Defence
for the Commonwealth of Australia.
}
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
The SECRETARY OF STATE: At the last meeting I suggested to the members of the Conference that it would be convenient and desirable that certain other Ministers who are not inèmbers of the Conference should ho present when matters affecting their departments were being considered. May I take it that there is no objection on the part of any member of the Conference to such an arrangement? We shall have the advantage of the presence of Sir John Forrest and Sir Frederick Borden, the Canadian Minister.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: I would have been extremely delighted, if the members of the Conference saw no objection, to my colleagues being present, of course, with no power to vote; but in many of the discussions I
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