1112 ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION [pArTYV
the later Convention of 1907 relating to the New Hebrides ;
the treaties with the Northern Powers for the maintenance
of the status quo in the North Sea; the treaties with the
Mediterranean Powers for the maintenance of the status
guo in the Mediterranean ; the general Act of Algeciras re-
garding Morocco of 1906, &c., no attempt has been made,
nor could any attempt be made, to permit separate adhesion
on the part of the Dominions. So even the new Extra-
dition Treaty with Belgium of 1911 applies generally to the
whole of the Empire. Thus also a Bill was introduced in
the Imperial Parliament in 1910 to enable His Majesty’s
Government to carry out the Hague Convention, and another
Bill to amend the law of Naval Prize, in order to render it
possible for His Majesty’s Government to accept the rules
in the Naval Prize Convention? agreed upon at London in
1908 as a basis for the jurisdiction of the International
Prize Court contemplated by the Hague Convention of 1907.
On the other hand, it is equally a fixed rule that in all
possible cases the Dominion Governments should be consulted
with regard even to political treaties which directly affect
their interests. So far back as 1871, when the Treaty of
Washington was negotiated, Sir John Macdonald was one
of the British representatives and acted on behalf of Canada.
Similarly it was laid down in a dispatch from Mr. Labouchere
of March 26, 1857, that no addition would be made to the
treaty burdens of Newfoundland without consulting the
Newfoundland Government. Thus on two occasions, in 1857
and 1886, treaty arrangements with France have been
dropped because of the objection of that Government, and
the Treaty of 1904 with France, so far as it concerned New-
foundland, was based on the fullest consultation between
the Colony and the Imperial Government, and the Imperial
t Cf. question asked in House of Commons, November 18, 1910; on the
motion of the Commonwealth Government the Imperial Conference of
1911 discussed the Declaration of London and agreed to its ratification ;
see Parl. Pap., Od. 5513; 5745, pp. 34, 97-134; 5746-1, pp. 4-20. The
Prime Ministers were also then consulted as to the renewal of the Japanese
Alliance ; see House of Commons Debates. xxviii, 1269. 1270, 1308. 1309,
1347. 1348.
