1138 ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION [pArT Vv 
Empire, for this country, and for the other Colonies, as well 
as for Australia. They have to take into account not only 
the satisfaction which would be felt in Australia if the New 
Hebrides could be secured to the Empire by some concession 
elsewhere, but also the dissatisfaction which would be felt 
in that part of His Majesty’s Dominions at whose expense 
the concession was made. His Majesty’s Government have 
always recognized the debt which the Empire owes to the 
British race in the Pacific Ocean for its splendid loyalty and 
patriotism, never so conspicuously shown as during the late 
South African war; and they have given their reasons for 
thinking that the impression that the interests and wishes of 
Australia and New Zealand in regard to the Pacific Islands 
have not received the fullest consideration from the Imperial 
Government is not well founded. 
The New Hebrides were destined to give further trouble. 
In 1906 a Convention was held at London between represen- 
tatives of the British and the French Governments to deal 
with the position of the New Hebrides by establishing a con- 
dominion in that group which recognized the equal rights 
of the French and the British Governments. Copies of this 
agreement were forwarded to the Governments of Australia 
and New Zealand in a dispatch of March 9, 1906.2 The 
Government of New Zealand in reply objected to any pro- 
posal of a condominion, and suggested that concessions should 
be made elsewhere in order to secure the withdrawal of France 
from the group, or if that were impossible, that a partition 
of the group should take place. In a reply to this telegram, 
dated April 12, His Majesty’s Government declined to 
consider the principle of making a concession of territory 
elsewhere, and pointed out that the Australian Government 
preferred joint control to a partition. 
On June 14, 1906, the Governor-General of Australia 
addressed a dispatch to the Secretary of State, in which his 
ministers protested against the drawing up of a convention 
without their being consulted, and objected strongly to the 
whole scheme of the convention as well as criticizing the 
terms of the convention in detail. 
A similar dispatch was addressed on July 21, 1906, to 
' See Parl. Pap., Cd, 3288 and 3525. * Cd. 3288, pp. 36 seq.