1520 IMPERIAL UNITY [PART VIII
in advance. If this were done it prevented needless mis-
understanding and friction.
Mr. Brodeur,! on behalf of Canada, was inclined to think
that the position of Canada had been prejudiced since 1867
by the passing of the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894, and he
urged that the Imperial Government should not interfere
with the action of the Dominion as regards merchant shipping.
In reply, Mr. Harcourt 2 pointed out that the plan of giving
notice of points with regard to merchant shipping was done
under the impression that it was an advantage to the
Dominion Governments to know at the earliest possible
moment the views of the Imperial Government, and Mr.
Buxton ® emphasized the duty of the Board of Trade to
consider and make representations with regard to the
interests of the whole trade of the United Kingdom. With
regard to Mr. Brodeur’s objection, he pointed out that the
Act of 1894 was merely a consolidating Act, and that its
enactment imposed no new restriction on or interference
vith Canadian merchant-shipping legislation.
The discussion ended with a formal passing of the resolu-
tion —
That it is desirable that the attention of the Government
of the United Kingdom and of the Dominions should be
drawn to the desirability of taking all practical steps to
secure uniformity of treatment to British shipping, to prevent
unfair competition with British ships by foreign subsidized
ships, to secure to British ships equal trading advantages with
foreign ships, and to raise the status and improve the con-
ditions of seamen employed on such ships.
On June 19 the question of the grant of wider legislative
powers to the Dominions in merchant shipping was inaugu-
rated by a statement by Lord Crewe? as Secretary of State
for India, with regard to the question of the British Indian.
He recognized the impracticability of the ideal of free move-
ment, throughout the Empire for all British subjects; the
Dominions must decide for themselves whom they would
' Cd. 5745, pp. 148, 149.
Ihid., pp. 145, 146.
* Ibid., p. 145.
¢ Ibid., pp. 396-400,
