CHAP. III] THE CONFERENCE OF 1911 1507
already existed one which had been highly praised by Sir
Wilfrid Laurier in the Dominion Parliament. To increase
the utility of the Secretariat the Imperial Government were
prepared to set up a standing committee of the Imperial
Conference which would contain the Secretary of State, the
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Permanent Under-Secretary,
Under-Secretary for the Dominions, and the High Commis-
sioners or other representatives of the self-governing Domi-
nions, and the Secretary would be chosen from the Dominions
Department. The business of this committee would be to
consider the carrying out of resolutions arrived at at Imperial
Conferences, proposals for the next conference, and subsidiary
and cognate matters. The committee must be absolutely
advisory and not executive. It would advise the Secretary
of State, who would communicate with the Dominion
Governments as to the discussions of the committee, but
of course the High Commissioners could also communicate
with the Dominion Governments. The Secretary of State
should have the power to summon the political or permanent
heads of other Government departments to deal with
technical questions. He inquired what position the Dominions
would desire the High Commissioners to occupy in the
scheme. In the discussion which followed certain difficulties
were pointed out. Sir Wilfrid Laurier! was anxious that
nothing should go before the committee which would affect
merely the relations between one Dominion and the United
Kingdom ; the South African representatives 2 were doubtful
as to whether it would not be inadvisable to make the High
Commissioner a political officer, as of course he was in the
main required for commercial business, and it might be diffi-
cult to make a suitable selection if the officer concerned
were required to be a political agent. On the other hand,
Mr. Fisher 3 was anxious for a very free consultation between
the High Commissioner and the Imperial Government with
regard to foreign affairs. Sir Joseph Ward # urged strongly
that, in the interests of the continuity of the work of the
t Cd. 5745, pp. 83 seq. 2 Thid., pp. 91 seq.
' Ibid., pp. 87, 88. ' Thid., pp. 80 seq.
