oHAP. x] MILITARY AND NAVAL DEFENCE 1287 
‘The House will cordially approve of any necessary 
expenditure designed to promote the speedy organization 
of a Canadian Naval Service in co-operation with, and in 
close relation to, the Imperial Navy along the lines suggested 
by the Admiralty at the last Imperial Conference, and in 
full sympathy with the view that the Naval supremacy of 
Britain is essential to the security of commerce, the safety 
of the Empire, and the peace of the world. The House 
expresses its firm conviction that whenever the need arises 
the Canadian people will be found ready and willing to make 
any sacrifice that is required to give to the Imperial authori- 
ties the most loyal and hearty co-operation in every move- 
ment for the maintenance of the integrity and honour of 
the Empire. Resolution ends. 
I understand that the Dominion Government proposes 
that its Defence Ministers should come here at an early date 
to confer with the Imperial Naval and Military Authorities 
apon technical matters arising upon that Resolution. 
‘His Majesty’s Government have also before them recent 
patriotic proposals made by Australia and New Zealand, 
proposals most highly appreciated by the Mother Country, 
and demanding very cordial and careful consideration both 
as to principle and detail. 
‘T desire, therefore, to commend to you the following 
important suggestion, namely, that a Conference of represen- 
tatives of the self-governing Dominions convened under the 
terms of Resolution I of the Conference of 1907, which 
provides for such subsidiary conferences, should be held in 
London early in July next. The object of the Conference 
would be to discuss the general question of Naval and Military 
Defence of the Empire with special reference to the Canadian 
Resolution, and to the proposals from New Zealand and 
Australia to which I have referred. 
‘I assume that as the consultation would be generally 
upon technical or quasi-technical naval and military matters 
the other governments of the self-governing Dominions 
would elect to be represented as in the case of Canada by 
their Ministers of Defence, or failing them by some other 
member of the Government assisted by expert advice, but 
it is entirely for the Government of [the Commonwealth] 
[New Zealand] [Cape Colony] [Newfoundland] to decide the 
precise form of its representation. 
‘The Conference would, of course, be of a purely consulta- 
tive character, it would be held in private, and its delibera- 
tions would be assisted by the presence of members of the