JHAP. III] THE CONFERENCE OF 1911 1555 
also serves a most important end as a partial solution of the 
problem of the assimilation of the vast number of Americans 
who are pouring into Canada, and who, as a rule, seek 
naturalization as soon as possible. Sir Wilfrid Laurier laid 
stress on the fact that these men at present could become 
Canadians but never British subjects in the full sense, and it 
is clear that this position is a decided menace to the continued 
maintenance of Canada as an intimate part of the Empire. 
One other great constitutional reform consists in the 
agreement to establish an Imperial Court of Appeal which 
shall sit in two divisions, one of them to represent the House 
of Lords, and one to represent the Judicial Committee of 
the Privy Council. The existing House of Lords and the 
Judicial Committee alike will be strengthened for this pur- 
pose by the addition of two judges of the highest standing, 
thus increasing to six the number of Lords of Appeal whose 
services are permanently available for use in the highest 
courts. The normal quorum of judges in the Privy Council 
and in the House of Lords will be increased to five, and 
judgements of the Privy Council will in future be delivered in 
a new form. At present only one judgement is delivered, 
without indication whether it is unanimous or merely that of 
a majority, or of the grounds on which the minority, if any, 
has dissented from the finding of the Court; this form is 
convenient and proper, as it is intended to be given effect to 
by order of His Majesty in Council, and therefore there must 
be some judgement of the Court as a whole. The principle 
will be retained in future, but His Majesty’s consent will be 
asked to a change by which it will be open for any judge who 
dissents from the decision of the Court to set forth the 
reasons for his dissent, although the judgement will still 
remain that of the whole committee. 
In commercial matters, while there was much less discus- 
sion than in 1907, the actual record of performance was more 
substantial. The creation of a Roval Commission, including 
tutional "Law, p. 329. Annexation places, it seems, a subject of the 
annexed country in the same position as a natural-born subject (e.g. 
General Botha’s Privy Councillorship in 1907).