12 
for the honour you have done me in associating my name with 
this Toast, and I wish particularly to thank His Grace the 
Duke of Devonshire for the exceedingly kind manner in which 
he has referred to myself and to my country, and to you all 
for the hearty way in which you have received his generous 
remarks. We were fortunate in having in Canada His Grace 
as Governor General for a number of years. We felt at that 
time that England had sent to us one that represented all that 
was best in her culture and the noblest traditions of public 
service. Having had the privilege to again renew associations 
with His Grace, partly by communications in the offices which 
we hold and partly by association in the Conference here, 
I have discovered that Canada has won through his association 
with our Dominion a first class citizen in the heart of the 
Empire. (Cheers.) May I say that I think this interchange 
illustrates what above all else will come out of the Conference 
in which we are privileged to share at this time. We are 
assembled here from different parts of the British Empire. 
We have come each bringing to the sum of the discussion our 
own particular point of view. We are speaking with great 
frankness to one another believing that in the truth will lie 
the solution of the problems which we are all seeking to solve 
in common. I think we are all realising that it'is very easy 
to criticise, that it is very easy to point out the limitations 
and the faults of men and of Governments, but what this age 
needs above everything else is not so much criticism as 
interpretation. (Hear, hear.) It is the interpretation of each 
other’s needs, difficulties and problems that we of the different 
Dominions of the British Empire and the Mother Country 
need amongst ourselves, and a like interpretation is needed 
between all nations that go to make up the human family. 
(Hear, hear.) We are seeking in the Conference to interpret 
to ‘one another the problems which we have to cope with, but 
behind the interpretation there lies in the breacts of each of 
us the common desire to see a solution worked out in a manner 
which will help to bring strength and fortitude to every part, 
and - to make the British Empire throughout the world more 
respected as a power of right and truth and justice for the 
good of man. (Cheers.) 
It seemed to me that, having the privilege to address this 
great gathering of representatives of British trade, industry, 
commerce and finance, that possibly you would expect me to 
say a few words on the economic side of imperial relations ; 
that having the privilege to represent the Dominion of Canada 
you would think it appropriate were: I to'describe in a very 
few words some of the outstanding features of our industrial 
and commercial situation. I do so for two reasons. The