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Majesty's Government and the Secretary of State for War and the Secretary of State for the Colonies. I move the resolution.
Sir WILFRID LAURIER: Had not the resolution better be read?
The SECRETARY OF STATE: The resolution is :-
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That the Prime Ministers of the Self-Governing Colonies suggest "that the question of the allotment of the Naval and Military Cadets of the Dominions beyond the Seas be taken into consideration by the Naval and Military Authorities, with a view to increasing the number of "such candidates; that, consistent with ensuring suitable candidates, as far as practicable greater facilities than now obtain should be given "to enable young Colonists to enter the Navy an: Army."
Mr. SEDDON: I think I ought to mention that on the point of facilities, first of all, you do not all-young officers who have served in South Africa- I think that is the amendment, or addition. Secondly, parents. You admit on your present conditions that the sons of those who have been killed or who have died in the Army are entitled to be cadet candidates, and there is a certain number, I think, given each year on the recommendation of the Secretary of War, but limited purely to the sons of officers in the Army. Now, I think, the sous of the officers who have been killed in South Africa should be included, and the Secretary of State might take that into con- sideration in nominating under the regulations. The regulations we wish should be amended in this respect to meet the altered conditions.
"The SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR: I personally shall be very glad to subscribe to the motion of Mr. Seddon, but I am obliged to say this, that the whole question of the education of the Army, and therefore of the excellence of the candidates, is at this moment under consideration, and a report has been made by a Departinental Committee, and I feel that until I have had an opportunity of much fuller consideration of the report, I shall not be able to give a decision. All I can say is that, as far as the grant of commissions is concerned, we will look with a very friendly eye on the possibility of helping in the direction that Mr. Seddon desires.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Lord Selborne, do you wish to say anything on this point?
The FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY: I have not much to say except that the matter has already had the attention of the Board of Admiralty, and we are preparing in a draft agreement between the Common- wealth of Australia and New Zealand to allot a definite number of cadetships in the Government of the Commonwealth and New Zealand every year, in addition to that in lieu of their share in the six or eight cadetships that. -
It is a matter for ordinarily fall to the Colonies at the present moment.
mutual discussion and consideration to settle the exact terms on which these cadetships shall be given. It occurred to me it might be wiser to allow the Secretary of State to nominate a considerable number to compete among themselves in Australia, but that is a mere point, in no way affecting the general principle. I think I may say we have already anticipated Mr. Seddon's suggestion.
Mr. SEDDON; In that case there is a slight alteration I want to make in the resolution before we go on with the discussion. It is not the number of cadets, it is the commissions 1 want it to apply to. **Commissions" iustead
of "cadets." Commissions for cadets in the Colonies.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Does any other Prime Minister wish to speak to this resolution of Mr. Seddon's? If not, I shall put the resolution to the Conference as amended:---
That the Prime Ministers of self-governing Colonies suggest "that the question of the allotment of the Naval and Military Cadeta
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"to the Dominions beyond the Seas be taken into consideration by the "Naval and Military Authorities, with a view to increasing the number "of commissions to be offered; that, consistont with ensuring suitable candidates, as far as practicable, greater facilities than now obtain "should be given to enable young Colonists to enter the Navy and "the Army."
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The resolution was put to the Conference and declared to be carried unanimously.
MILITARY DEFENCES.
The SECRETARY OF STATE: Then, Mr. Brodrick, have you anything
to say upon the subject of your negotiations with Mr. Seddon and with the Cape and with Natal with regard to Military Defence.
The SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR: Well, I have circulated a memorandum which practically covers the whole ground. I believe there is no difference of opinion practically between the three Prime Ministers and myself with regard to this Memorandum, except as regards the point Mr. Seddon has raised as to the third paragraph. He has rather taken that paragraph to mean what it was not intended to mean, and I do not think it bears that construction, that this provision would be for general service abroad, and not limited merely to the three parts of the earth that no speaks of in his own Memorandum-South Africa, China, and Canada. What I intended to convey was, wo quite understood that to be his offer, but we on our part considered that in the event of a campaign on the north-west frontier of India the employment should not be objected to. That is only our suggestion. We quito understood the nature of his proposal, and as the matter now stands the Prime Minister of the Cape, by communication through Mr. Fuller, and the Prime Minister of Natal have both accepted the principle of keeping a body of troops for Imperial service, limited only in their case by numbers in view of the native population and the necessary considerations relative to them.
With regard to New Zealand, Mr. Seddou, I think, scos no difficulty in proceeding to raise a force of 4,500 men on the lines which he has suggested, and therefore, I think the position with regard to those three Colonies has come to the point whero wo had botter make definite proposals in writing to the Colonial Office, and allow the Colonial Office to negotiate and put it before them in a formal manner. Beyond that I think I have nothing to say. The Commonwealth of Australia anil Canada were taken out of the negotiations after what passed last time, and I can only express the pious hope that those two great Continent authorities will find themselves some day or another, after secing the start that is made, able to consider something on similar lines.
Mr. SEDDON: I would say that the point at issue between the Secretary of State for War and myself is this: In the memorandum prepared by him, he lays it down clearly that the men should be placed in the same position as the reservists at home. If that be the case then His Majesty's Government would consider the pay of the men. If, on the other hand, it was to be for the Colonial Governments to fix where they were to serve, and they were not to be treated as reservists, the same as the reserves or the regular Army at home, in that case the extra cost should fall upon the Colonial Parliaments. That is the point raised. There is a way of getting over that difficulty. say fix beforehand the limit beyond which you would not ask them to go. They would not enlist to serve in Europe; I do not think that they would enlist to serve in India from the Colonies, but excluding Europe and India I believe that within limits that should be fixed beforehand; once that is tu your satisfaction it is equal to accepting what you laid down in the first instance, placing them in the same position as the reserves or the regular
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