PUBLE RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
8
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT, PHOTOGRAPH-NOŤ TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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THIRD DAY.
Friday, July 18th, 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 Honourablo Sir EDMUND BARTON, G.C.M.G., Premier of
Australia.
The Right Honourable R. J. SEDDON, Premier of New Zealand,
The Honourable Tuos. EKIN FULLER, for The Right Honourable Sir
GORDON SPRIGG, 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.
J
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 JOIN ANDERSON, K.C.M.G., Secretary.
PRESENT AL80 :---
The Honourable W. PATERSON, Minister of Customs for the Dominion of
Canada.
The Honourable W. S. FIELDING, Minister of Finance for the Dominion
of Canada.
The Right Honourable GERALD BALFOUR, M.P., President of the Board of
Trade.
The Right Honourable The EARL OF DUDLEY, Parliamentary Secretary to
the Board of Trade.
է
Sir FRANCIS Horwood, K.C.B., Permanent Secretary to the Board of
Trade.
Sir ALFRED BATEMAN, K.C.M.G.
Sir ROBERT GIFfen, K.C.B.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Before we begin, I should just like to say how very sorry I am that the proceedings should have been interrupted by my accident, and how grateful I am to all the Prime Ministers for all the consideration that they have shown me under the circumstances..
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: Before the proceedings are opened, Mr. Chairman, I would like to move that the Hon. W. Paterson and the Hon. W. S. Fielding should be admitted to this Conference to take part in the discussion, but not to vote. I brought the matter forward some few days ago; but we are opening to-day a very important subject, as to which
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I am sure we shall be anxious to have as much technical knowledge as can possibly be got upon it. The two gentlemen. I have named are both experts on these subjects. I see here present the President of the Board of Trado and other members of the Board, and I have no doubt that they will give us very valuable information, but I would like first to hear their views so that we should have the benefit of them on the question with which we shall have to deal.
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The SECRETARY OF STATE: I think Mr. Seddon only took exception to the presence of members who were not members of the Conference on the occasion of the discussion of matters with which they not personally concerned, and he thon stated that he took no exception whatever to the presence, for instance, of Sir John Forrest as a Minister of Defence of the Commonwealth when we were discussing the question of Imperial Defence, and I presume it would be the same with regard to the presence of gentlemen who are experts in the particular matters which we are going to discuss to-day.
Mr. SEDDON: That is the position. I wish to keep the Conference a Conference of the Prime Ministers, but take no exception to expert evidence; it would be an advantage to have the opinion of experts on loading questions. to that I take no exception.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Mr. Fuller has joined our Conference to-day on the nomination of Sir Gordon Sprigg, who has been compelled to leave, and he will represent Cape Colony in Sir Gordon Sprigg's absence. Of course, we shall be very glad to have him.
Mr. SEDDON: If it is necessary I will move that as a matter of record that Mr. Fuller has joined the Conference on the nomination of Sir Gordon Sprigg.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: If you please.
Mr. SEDDON: I move:-That in the absence of Sir Gordon Sprigg, and at his request, Mr. Fuller, the Agont-General for the Cape Colony, represent the Cape Colony at this Conference.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Are these gentlemen present?
The SECRETARY: No, sir, they have been sent for.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Then, in opening the proceedings. I have very little indeed to say. I venture to, suggest that to-day we take up Imperial commercial relations, and that we deal first with the question of preferential trade which has, in fact, been raised by a notice of motion which was given by Mr. Seddon, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, on a previous occasion. And, in the course of some remarks Mr. Seddon said, incidentally, as I understood him, that his Colony was prepared to give a preference of 10
per cent. on British goods. I should add, perhaps, to that that Sir Gordon Sprigg hofore he left stated that he would place his viows in the possession of Mr. Fuller, but he said to mo that the position of Cape Colony was rather exceptional inasmuch as the duties in Cape Colony did not amount to, as a rule, on the average, more than 73 per cont., and that the only way in which Cape Colony therefore might give a roal and substantial preference to British goods would be by raising their duties on foreign goods, which I understood he was propared to recommend his Parliament to do.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: Mr. Chairman, before we take up any motion, I would like the advice of the members here present whether it would
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