CHAPTER III 
THE CONFERENCE OF 1911 
§ 1. Tur PREPARATIONS FOR THE CONFERENCE 
Muon more effective steps were taken than in 1902 to 
carry out the decisions of the Colonial Conference. 
In accordance with the agreement arrived at at the 
Defence Conference of 1909, the Commonwealth of Australia 
placed orders through the Admiralty for the cruisers re- 
quired, Canada purchased the Rainbow and Niobe, and 
proposed to place further orders for four cruisers and six 
destroyers to be built in Canada; orders were also placed 
for the cruiser to be given by New Zealand, and in Canada 
and Australia Naval Defence Acts were passed under which 
the new defence forces are governed by principles similar to 
those in force in the Imperial Navy. 
In 1910 a Subsidiary Imperial Conference was convened 
bo consider the subject of Imperial copyright. The Con- 
ference was held in May and June, and discussed fully the 
questions of the maintenance of the unity of copyright 
legislation throughout the Empire, and the desirability of 
the Empire accepting the Revised Copyright Convention of 
Berlin (1908). The Governments of all the Dominions were 
represented, and important resolutions were passed in favour 
of the adoption of a uniform copyright law for the Empire, 
and in favour of the acceptance of the Revised Copyright 
Convention, subject to certain reservations, and in particular 
bo the right of any self-governing Dominion to limit the 
obligation imposed by the Convention to works the authors 
' For the correspondence arising out of the Conference of 1907 up to 
July 1910, see Parl. Pap., Cd. 5273. Faull recognition of the work of the 
secretariat under Sir H. Just was accorded by all the Prime Ministers 
who attended the Conference. 
* See Parl. Pap., Cd. 5272; Part V. chap. viii.