CHAP. II] THE CONFERENCE OF 1911 ‘1523 
only sought by the Commonwealth Parliament to secure that 
local vessels were not subjected to conditions which were not 
imposed on Imperial and foreign ships. 
Mr. Malan ! pointed out that in South Africa the objections 
to Indian immigration were based on the fact that there was 
already a large resident African population ; the problem of 
dealing with- that question was already very serious, and 
will be greatly complicated by the addition of an Indian 
population. There were, however, also economic difficulties, 
inasmuch as in Natal Indian labour was desired for work 
on the sugar plantations. 
Lord Crewe 2 replied briefly to Sir Joseph Ward’s argu- 
ments. He pointed out that, regarded from an economic 
point of view, it was difficult to criticize the Indians for 
having a different standard of living from white people, and 
to equalize economic conditions would be very difficult. 
Indians could not be expected to appreciate the exact point 
of view of New Zealand. 
The more general aspect of merchant shipping was dealt 
with by Mr. Buxton? He insisted that the principle was that 
the merchant shipping generally should be regulated by the 
Imperial Government, subject to the control by the Colonial 
Parliaments of registered shipping and the coasting trade, and 
to the extent of control in the case of Australia of vessels on 
round voyages conferred by s. 5 of the Constitution Act, 1900. 
The New Zealand proposal was apparently that in terri- 
torial waters the Colonial Parliament could regulate matters 
like wages, manning scale, accommodation, and so forth. 
It might be possible to insist on the payment of New Zealand 
rates of wages within territorial waters, but it would be very 
difficult to insist on the application of the New Zealand man- 
ning scale and of the New Zealand ideas of accommodation. 
In the case of foreign ships attempts to enforce these rules 
would be illusory ; foreign vessels outside territorial waters 
ould deduct the excess of wages paid, could re-convert the 
accommodation and could dismiss at the next port the 
Cd. 5745, pp. 409, 412. 
Ibid., pp. 412-6. See above, Part V, chap. vii. 
* Thid., pp. 410, 411.