1114 ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION [PaRT Vv 
Government should accept a similar stipulation with regard 
to the case of a Dominion, whereas it would hardly be 
reasonable to ask for a similar concession from other powers. 
At the same time it must be recognized that there is a 
definite limit to such concessions. In the long run the 
Imperial Government must decide, inasmuch as it is upon 
the Empire that the results of any decision will fall, and 
sherefore the central power must accept the responsibility 
and have the final authority, and this has been recently 
laid down in the correspondence of 1907! with the Govern- 
ment of Newfoundland regarding the American fishery 
rights. 
It may be added that the practice has of recent years been 
introduced of consulting the Dominions with regard to the 
case of general commercial treaties, in order to ascertain 
if there are any representations which it is desirable to make 
in the special interests of those Dominions. Thus in the 
Anglo-Greek agreement a special insertion was made of 
codfish in view of the interests of the Government of New- 
foundland, and steps have been taken to secure the presence 
on the Advisory Committee of the Board of Trade of repre- 
sentatives of the self-governing Dominions. 
§ 3. COMMERCIAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH REGARD TO THE 
DoMINIONS 
His Majesty’s Government has from an early date been 
anxious to assist the self-governing Colonies to secure by 
treaty commercial arrangements which may appear to them 
50 be advantageous in their interests, and in respect of such 
negotiations have always desired to have the assistance of 
Colonial ministers familiar with the matters dealt with. 
Reference may be made to the negotiation by Lord Elgin, 
then Governor-General, of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854 
with the United States in the interests of Canada, in which 
the Canadian Government were consulted in the fullest 
manner possible. 
In 1865 Her Majesty's Government expressed their readi- 
+ Cf, Parl, Pap., Cd. 3765, p. 179.