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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

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alternative form of tenders, the time for the formal contract themselves- what they said was—it was allowed to run thus far before the tenders were called for, and there certainly was an interval without any contract in-hand at all for these. Then I wish to remove the idea from the mind of the War Office that the Colonies objected to Bergl's tender. We did not, because we considered it was, failing that which we urged, the next best thing to do. There was an Australian and a New Zealand firm in it, and we knew that they would get some supplies from the Colonies. I do not wish it to be considered for a moment that we have found fault because it was Borgl's tender. Under all the circumstances in that connection we agreed that it was probably the next best thing that the Imperial Government could do was to accept Bergl's tender. I would like to ask, in respect to the Australian and Chinese Stations-Mr. Arnold Forster has mentioned that the Mediterra- nean Station was supplied by meat from Australia. That is the chilled meat

and the canned. I presume that applies to the Chinese to the China Station ?

Mr. ARNOLD FORSTER: I think we have made an experiment, but it is not done as a regular matter of course, because we have no difficulty in obtaining meat on the China station. But we have tried it. We have had one cargo over.

The SECRETARY OF STATE: If there are no other observations, I will put the Resolution.

Mr. ARNOLD FORSTER: May I ask, Mr. Chamberlain, in regard to the Admiralty, would that oblige us to publish the tenders simultaneously in Australia and here, because in that case our view is, as I was saying just now, it is much more convenient to deal with the agents here, and if we were to bring the tenders to their notice, would not that be sufficient?

The SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes. This Resolution suggests that whatever you may do with regard to the acceptance of tenders that you should give notice of your requirements, and of the condition of your tender in the Colonies.

The SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR: Through whatever channels you can.

Mr. SEDDON: We have firms in New Zealand who can supply canned meats and who are not on your list. That there are only six on your list proves that at once. Taking Australia and New Zealand, there is only a very small proportion of those who are engaged in the canning of meat, and able to meet your supply who are on the list.

The SECRETARY OF STATE: the list.

We cannot place every

one on

.

Mr. SEDDON: No; I would not say that every one should be placed on the list, but it would help if the notice was given, as specified by the resolution, in the Colonies, and I take it that the War Office intended that, because they notified us they were calling for tenders for the first time.

Sir FREDERICK BORDEN: Before you put the motion, I would like to ask one question. I was at Aldershot the other day and I was told there with reference to the large contracts for beef that it was a condition in those contracts that only British-grown beef was to be supplied. I thought that was rather extraordinary, and, of course, my information may not be correct, but it seemed to me to be important enough to bring to the notice of Mr. Brodrick, because it seemed to me to be an extraordinary thing if the prohibition is imposed.

The SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR: I will just remind you of the very remark that Mr. Chamberlain made just now, that it is almost impos- sible to ask for tenders for butter for the Curragh from all over the Empire,

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when butter can he got close by, aud object in putting down British-grown meat is that we have with very great difficulty brought Parliament here to agree that a certain proportion, as much as-I think 50 per cent., is it not !- of the meat forwarded inay be frozen or refrigerated meat, and wo have only recently raised the mutton given from one day to two: That mutton is almost exclusively from the Colonies, but I don't think our own producers here would see their way to allow us to import beof here from the Colonies instead of taking the meat from our own market, which has at once à supply.

The SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, and it was distinctly stated by Sir Edmund Barton that he only wished his resolution to apply to those products which could not bo filled in the countries which required, the supplios. It is not intended to throw open a trade which is at the present timo fully filled by local products to the Empire, but, of course, whoro a country requires supplies, and where the supplies cannot be filled either ontirely or wholly by themselves, then the object of the resolution is to see that they are obtained, as far as possible, from the Empire and not from foreign countries.

Sir EDMUND BARTON: That 1 must admit, Sir. It is clear that the self-governing Colonies of the Empire would confine their contracts within their own bounds, as far as they could. That being so, it is necessary to extend the principle and make it reciprocal in operation.

The SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes. Then I put the resolution.

The following resolution was put to the Conference and unanimously adopted:

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"That in all Government, contracts, whether in the case of tho Colonial or the Imperial Governments, it is desirable that, as far as practicable, the products of the Empire should be preferred to the products of foreign countries.

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With a view to promoting this result it is suggested that where "such contracts cannot be filled in the country in which the supplies

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are required, the fullest practicable notice of the requirements and

of the conditions of tender should be given both in the Colonies and the United Kingdom and that this notico should be communicated through official channels as well as through the Pross."

POSTAL RATES.

The SECRETARY OF STATE: Then I think that the next matter is the question of postal accommodation, raised at the instance of Canada.

Sir WILLIAM MULOCK: Mr. Chairman, the object of this proposal is to bring about such a reduction of rates as will lead to the larger circulation of periodicals and newspapers published in the Mother Country throughout the Empire; at present, the rate is practically prohibitory I think the rato is one halfpenny for two ounces or a fraction thereof, and when you come to apply it to practical affairs of life we find that any ordinary newspaper would weigh at least two ounces, so that you may assume that a penny is the cost of the postage, which is more than the value of the paper or the cost of the paper. We have a large population come from the Mother Country. They naturally desire to keep in touch with the Mother Country through the medium of the Press. They are unable to do so.

We are glad to say that the volume of immigration from the Mother Country continues to increase. Now, we are in a peculiar position. We are on the borders of a great nation, a very enterprising and aggressive nation. We have a large number of their own citizens coming into Canada at the present moment. We have a large foreign population. We must either assimilate them or they will assimilate us. It does not appear to me

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